Quiet Leadership, By Katelyn Chapman

Colorado. Skiing. Friends. Quiet Leadership.

The last two words probably threw you for a loop. My exposure to experiential education had my wheels turning in “Reflective Observation” and “Abstract Conceptualization” mode (see Kolb’s Experiential Learning Cycle) after my trip to Colorado with friends.

I had an "Aha” moment on the flight home. While the rest of the crew was enjoying some shut eye, I got amped as I realized a cool connection between what I’ve been learning through David Rock’s Quiet Leadership and what I experienced skiing in Colorado. I will show how 3 components contributed to having one of the best trips ever!

To explain how my Colorado trip rolled out and connected to quiet leadership, I’ll back up to share my story of skiing…

On the first day, I had the normal first day jitters. Besides being my first time skiing out west, I experienced the typical, “Oh, I hope my body remembers how to ski.” Some of you super confident people may not experience that quick moment of self doubt. For me, I usually experience it on the first chair lift up the mountain, hoping that I make a first smooth exit off the chairlift. I know my friends and random spectators would enjoy some free entertainment, but I’d prefer if it didn’t come from my direction. For those non-skiiers/snowboarders, you can equate it to riding a bike… or rollerblading… something that you may not do a regular basis but you just ‘pick it back up.’

Having successfully exited the first chairlift, I sighed relief. Now it was warming up the legs and experiencing the difference of skiing out west. Friends agreed about using the first day on the slopes to effectively warm up. We enjoyed exploring the new terrain, focusing on green circles and blue squares coined “Easiest Terrain” and “Intermediate Terrain” respectively. At the end of the day, I felt thrilled but excited about trying more difficult trails the next day.

During the second day, I continued to ski blue squares and bumped it up a notch with black diamonds on “Expert Terrain.” The Expert Terrain challenged me with much steeper trails and moguls. During the last run of the day, two of the more experienced skiers in our group chose to go down a double black, “Expert Only”. I started the trail and then changed my mind. My legs already felt tired- I realized it wasn’t the best time to try something I was uncomfortable with. At the end of the day, I felt excitement but also yearning for the rest of the mountain. A part of me respected the fact I chose not to do the trail on tired legs, but was determined to “achieve” it.

During the third and final day of skiing, I woke up beaming from ear to ear. I was READY but still had self doubt- Was I truly prepared for a Double Black Diamond? We hit the lifts as soon as they opened and proceeded to savor our last day skiing out west. We created our own tracks with the fresh powder – in this, I truly felt like I was crashing an X Games competition or something of that sort. Ha!

Following a few warm-up runs, we proceeded to the Super Bee (a chairlift that runs to the more difficult terrain on the mountain). At the top, we spotted the double black signs and the same trail the two friends had done the prior day. My gut started to sink and the three friends proceeded to help me by incorporating three principles in Quiet Leadership:

1. Stretch people- My friends looked at me for ‘what they thought I could do.’ They didn’t limit my capabilities based on “what I had achieved” in the two prior days. They didn’t assume I wouldn’t ski a double black. They “stretched” me beyond my current position, away from my comfort zone. By them stretching me, they helped me focus on an outcome that I wanted deep down but was nervous to achieve.
2. Be solutions-focused- Instead of focusing on the worst-case scenario, like if I caught a ski and then enjoyed a hamster roll down a mountain….or reminiscing about how injured people have got in the past- they focused on how nice the trail was. They emphasized that the first part was the steepest and after that, it wasn’t bad at all. (i.e. Katelyn could take a breath of fresh air after the first bout). They also led the group, showing us a specific line that they knew would be most manageable for us. By being solutions focused, they provided me support to meet my stretch goal – “the double black.”
3. Provide positive encouragement- “Katelyn, I’ve skied with you the past 3 days and I know you can do this.” Naturally when we are outside of our comfort zone, we are afraid of the unknown, the failure, our anxiety ramps up and we doubt our capabilities. By providing positive encouragement, we reinforce positive thinking and help stretch people.

They helped me enjoy the ride of my life (and I have awesome pictures to prove it!). How will you incorporate the 3 principles to INspire change?

Author:
Katelyn Chapman, MBA