What surfing can teach us about innovation 🏄
I’m so glad you’ve decided to join The Wave Report, my weekly column on the lessons leaders can use to grow – themselves, their leadership, and their organizations.
Some people have asked me why I call it "The Wave Report"? Are you a wannabe surfer or something? Well, actually, I am (aspiring, that is). But that's not why I called it The Wave Report. Let me tell you why...
I think we can learn several things from the world of surfing when it comes to innovation.
What's in a Name?
I grew up in Southern California, and if you grow up as a young man in So Cal, surfing is a rite of passage.
Growing up, I tried to surf many times but spent most of my time falling off the board or getting pounded by the waves.
Above: My kids learning to navigate playing in the ocean. Getting pounded by the waves in surfing, like in life, can be overwhelming. Unending… wave after wave… can’t breathe… which way is up… oh no, not another one! 🌊
That is, until I took a lesson, and learned I was doing it all wrong.
You see, I thought surfing was pretty simple. You get in the water, and when you see a wave coming, you paddle really hard, and then you stand up and ride the wave. How hard could that be?
Surfing is rather difficult, it turns out. Like innovation.
Then, I learned four key principles that lead to catching waves – and these same principles apply to leading successful innovation.
Principle #1 - Pick Your Waves
Have you ever stood on a pier and watched the surfers for a while? It's easy to miss, but have you ever noticed that they don't try to catch every wave? Instead, they watch each wave, studying it, and they consider, "Is this a wave worth catching?"
Not every wave is worth catching. In fact, most waves aren't worth catching. The best surfers study each one and pick the one that is best for their situation.
It's the same with innovation. Innovation isn't about catching every wave. It’s about seeing what’s coming, understanding if the innovation or trend is right for you, and only then deciding to try to catch that wave.
đź’ˇ Takeaway: Innovation is not about trying to catch every wave. Innovation is about catching the right waves. See the waves, seek to understand them, and then pick your waves.
Principle #2 - Paddle at the Right Time
I would be in the water, sitting on my board, waiting. I would see a wave coming and think, "Oh man, this is going to be a good one," and I would start paddling.
I would paddle and paddle, anticipating the coming wave. I knew I needed to get my board moving at the same speed as the wave to catch it. So I would paddle and paddle hard – paddle, paddle, paddle.
Inevitably, I would tire out. Often, this would happen just before the wave got to me. I would miss it and be disappointed. I didn't understand that you could miss a wave by trying to catch it too early, as much as you could by paddling too late.
You can expend all your energy in anticipation of a coming wave, only to miss it because you're too tired, discouraged, and worn out by the time it hits.
💡 Takeaway: Innovation is about knowing when to paddle. It’s about understanding the trends, determining which waves are worth catching, and discerning when to put in the effort and paddle to catch the wave.
Principle #3 - Go With the Wave
Even when I got the timing of when to paddle down, I still had a hard time catching waves. Then, one day, an instructor got in the water with me and pointed out something. He showed me how each wave crashes in a slightly different direction. It was such a subtle thing that I had never noticed it before.
Until that moment, I assumed every wave crashed in one direction – towards the shore. Duh! But at this beach (especially in California), the topography under the water meant that every wave would crash slightly differently. Once I got my board pointed in the right direction, I could catch the wave!
When I learned how to paddle at the speed of the wave, at the right time, and in the right direction, it changed everything.
đź’ˇ Takeaway: Innovation is about understanding which direction the wave is crashing so you can paddle with the wave. My goal with The Wave Report is to point out the coming waves and help you understand which way they are crashing.
Principle #4 - Read The Wave Report
Success in surfing starts before the board hits the water. The most experienced surfers read the wave report for the day (like this one for one of my California favorites, Huntington Beach).
You can know all of the surfing techniques, but sometimes the conditions just, well, suck. Savvy surfers use the wave report to know when and where to jump in.
đź’ˇ Takeaway: Just like experienced surfers read the wave report before heading out, leaders tap into different sources like The Wave Report to understand the conditions and trends they may tap into.
Innovation is a lot easier when you read the conditions.
Hence I present to you The Wave Report. I hope it's one small source of helping you see and understand the conditions you face as a leader.
The more you can see what waves are coming and where they are going, the better equipped you'll be to choose the right ones and ride them.
Surfs Up! 🌊
- Dave
About the Author | Dave Raley
Consultant, speaker, and author Dave Raley is the founder of Imago Consulting, a firm that helps nonprofits and businesses who serve nonprofits create profitable growth through sustainable innovation. He’s the author of the book The Rise of Sustainable Giving: How the Subscription Economy is Transforming Recurring Giving, and What Nonprofits Can Do to Benefit. Dave also writes a weekly innovation and leadership column called The Wave Report, and the co-founder of the Purpose & Profit Podcast — a show about the ideas at the intersection of nonprofit causes and for-profit brands. Connect with Dave on LinkedIn.
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