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Business as Rafting

How to stay afloat (and have fun) in the wild water of business

7 min readSep 9, 2020

“When was the last time you did something for the first time?” That’s the question that inspired me to do rafting this summer and, as you may guess, it was my first time. Once I got off from the rubber dinghy I realised how much rafting is like business and I would like to share with you some of the similarities I have identified.

Doing rafting with my friends on the Dora river, Val D’Aosta.

The river. First of all, as you arrive at the rafting centre, you meet the river. It may be scary with rapids and rocks and sometimes they call it whitewater because of the milkish colour caused by the turbulence and the sediments. The current is swift and some logs floating on the water got stuck in a whirlpool.

The river is the flow of work with the mixed complexity of activities, people and events. Sometimes it’s a rush, sometimes things go slower and you have time to plan and manage tasks properly. You have learnt something from the past and you may have hints for the future, however, you’re here in this moment looking at your role and your tasks for today. And that’s how you have to go: one paddle stroke after another.

My eyes are shut in most of the pictures… That was only to keep my contact lenses in!

The guide. So here you are, looking at the stream and listening to the roaring voice of the river and you start thinking you made the wrong choice. Actually, there could still be the chance to sneak away quietly. But then, if you have chosen the right rafting centre, you meet your guide for the day. As he explains to you the basics to do rafting, you understand how to paddle in a team, what to do if you fall out of the raft, how to swim in a river (that’s not like swimming in the sea!), how to get help from team’s mates and how to help others. The guide keeps describing how to hold the paddle to prevent you breaking yours or your mate’s teeth and finally he shows you the rope he keeps in his backpack, for you to grab in case you’re dragged away by the current. The last chance if things get bad. Your guide is reliable and trustworthy. He has been rafting since ages, he knows the river like the back of his hand and he’s even entertaining with lots of funny anecdotes and humorous gags about rafting.

The guide is your boss, of course. A good one is trusty, honest, empathic, resilient, passionate,… name one good quality and your boss should have it. Among the many resources available to become a good leader, this list of Ted Talks is particularly inspiring and it provides some good references to deepen the topic. For instance, in his talk, Simon Sinek focuses on the rule of the golden circle: start with the why and then on the how and the what. The video has more than 51 millions views, so the chance you already saw this is quite high. My favourite quote from Simon’s speech is: “We follow those who lead, not for them, but for ourselves. And it’s those who start with ‘why’ that have the ability to inspire those around them or find others who inspire them.”

So why should anyone do rafting? To have fun, to experience the nature of mountains from a different perspective, to safely live the river and feel the freshness of water. And the same is with your work: do what you love and what you’re passionate about and you will be able to keep growing your skills.

The team. Yet you are still there with your feet on dry land, and even if you’re already wearing a heavy wetsuit you have not touched the water. An inner voice keeps telling you to slip away. But suddenly you realise that you’ve got company in this adventure. You came here with your friends (maybe they even got you here) and you realise that you will do rafting together. The raft is supervised by the guide, but it’s powered by the team’s members. Listening to the directions from the guide, you should altogether row at once to drive the rubber dinghy out of the rapids. Even if the river will try to lead you somewhere, with the proper paddling technique the whole team will be able to drive the raft where they want. Incredibly altogether you could even be able to move upstream in some cases, or to pleasantly turn around the raft on itself enjoying the sight of the river banks. One of your mates could be the one to give the pace to everyone else, so you’re all following the same rhythm.

It goes without saying, in business the team is made of your colleagues. Sharing common objectives, experiencing together the ups and downs, taking part in the same effort: all these are magic ingredients for a harmonious team. Under the guidance of an inspiring leader, the team is essential for making a business thrive and reach desired results. Like in rafting, listening is fundamental for cooperation and humility to learn from others is a great quality when you’re working in a group. Finally, being part of a team and achieving together a result is better than working alone.

Having fun on the rubber dinghy.

The rubber dinghy. After the river, it should be the second thing you notice once you enter the rafting centre. The rubber dinghy is the boat on which you and your team will float over the river under the supervision of your guide. As you’re spending a few moments inspecting the boat, you may ask yourself when was the first time someone did rafting. Even if also in the 9th century BC some Phoenician and Assyrian soldiers crossed water using inflated goat skins, it is only after the development of rubber-coated fabrics that inflatable boats became commonly used. According to several sources, the first (unsuccessful) rafting adventure dates back to 1811 and it was only in 1840 that thanks to the first rubber raft, invented by John C. Frémont and Horace H. Day, they managed to navigate on the Platte River in Wyoming.

Once you have cleared up that your rubber dinghy is not as old as above mentioned John Frémont, reassured, you listen to your guide explaining what are the main elements of the raft. There are two buoyancy tubes upon which the team will be seated, the floor with some pockets for the feet to anchor you at the raft and then a seat with two long oars for the guide to drive the rubber boat. In smaller rubber boats the guide seats in the back of the raft with a paddle used as the boat’s wheel.

In your daily work, the rubber dinghy represents your skills. The set of experiences and knowledge you and your team have is what will keep you afloat in the wild water of your business. Since you’re rowing/working together it is good if your skills are complementary. Maintenance is of utmost importance and if there are some gaps in your knowledge, you should be responsible to fill in the holes to reinforce your competencies.

Once you have ended the rafting trip and you’re out of the water, the whole team needs to lift up the rubber dinghy to load it on the track that will bring you back at the rafting centre. Even now, when you’re on dry land, it is important to work as a team with good coordination so that everyone is carrying the right load. In the same way, when your business is running smoothly, it’s the good time to plan for training or organising team building activities so that all the team’s members are engaged and empowered by sharing knowledge on common objectives.

“Life is short. Live your dreams and share your passion”. At the end of this analogy, I have to admit that doing whitewater rafting has been memorable. This summer I have been lucky enough to raft twice on the Dora river, at the foot of Monte Bianco in Val d’Aosta, Italy, with the guys of Totem Adventure (this is not an #ads). The first time I was with some of my best friends and then I was also joined by my little girls Annalisa and Beatrice. That was so much fun and instructive at the same time: rowing in the freshwater, looking at the mountains from a perspective I’ve never had before, enjoying the ride and focusing on the moment without looking back or worrying for the future, experiencing the thrills of some rapids and the calm of the mild flow. As in my work every day, I have some ups and downs, sometimes I have to rush and sometimes I have plenty of time to plan and manage the activities. The important thing is to keep enjoying every bit of the ride, learning from the errors and doing my best, respecting my colleagues, partners and customers.

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elisabetta delponte
elisabetta delponte

Written by elisabetta delponte

Full time communicative housewife, used to be a consultant, I am mum of A&B.

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