Human Resources (HR) is not immune to the latest business trends. This year’s buzz is about the skill of “ SurfAbility,” which creates a parallel between surfing and leadership. It is about maintaining balance while moving forward in unpredictable environments, a scenario most companies are nowadays used to. This business environment is usually described as Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous (VUCA). Likewise, surfing demands a knowledge and connection with each wave and understanding the ocean’s unpredictability.
“When we talk about a leader with the SurfAbility skill, we talk about a person that knows and understands she or he is part of everything and not an individual”, explains Clara Lorenzo, HR specialist and career coach. “This leader will be empathetic, inspiring, flexible, conscious and connected.” Someone able to personalize the way she or he manages their team.
The surfer does not know his starting point, and must analyze the environment to check the waves and the wind, amongst other things. It is then that they can decide when to enter the water and when to pop up (stand up on the surf board). The sea or the ocean offers a vast amount of possibilities and the surfer’s decision determines their success.
It is similar for business leaders. Companies and the market face various opportunities and environments that can change unexpectedly, and it is the company’s resilience and flexibility that allows them to make the best decision.
In order to understand what SurfAbility business skills are, let’s compare them to the surfer.
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Adaptability:
Surfers: the wind, the waves, and even the people around you in the water influences actions, and can change suddenly. The surfer needs rapid reactions and adaptability so not to fall.
Business Leaders: today the business world is described as VUCA, and the leader has to have the capacity to adapt to fast changing environments. They need to understand how the business can change and how to redirect the team’s direction.
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Resilience and flexibility:
Surfer: the ocean is in flux. Each time a surfer approaches the water they find themselves with a different scene. It is their resiliency and flexibility that allows them to submerge themselves in that completely new scenario, accept change, and be ready to adapt to the new environment to make the most out of it.
Business Leaders: they need the capacity to accept change and instill in others the importance of change, and be flexible enough to see the opportunities of change. This ability shows a leader that can guide their team, help them cope and accept change, which will in turn ease the transition to a new business environment.
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Consciousness and connection:
Surfer: The surfer needs to be connected with their surfboard, with the wave, the wind, the possibility of a sudden change. All of it determines their success.
Leader: in the business world, being connected with the environment gives the advantage of responsiveness. It is an art to be focused on one task at a time until completion. It is about being fully involved.
“It is the era of personalization in HR,” explains Ms. Lorenzo. “Leaders need to take time to get to know each one of their team members and understand that they are individuals with different needs and expectations resulting on individual management.”
We know surfing makes people happy. There is a physical reaction creating endorphins in the body, which produces a feeling of well-being. Comparing surfing and business encompasses positive psychology. As Clara Lorenzo says, “happy and optimistic employees have better performance and efficiency, stay twice as much in their jobs and have 65% more energy and commitment with the company.” It is in this context that companies need to train leaders to lead by example.
This year’s trend puts leaders in vogue, showing a more collaborative community within the company. Bosses are trained and their soft skills become as important as their hard skills. Employees become part of the company, being heard and gaining relevance. All of this together builds a positive culture in the company, the culture that will drive the business to success. With leaders that know how to ‘surf the wave’, teams learn too.
Photo credit : ohrim via shutterstock
Formation:
Formation manager son équipe dans un environnement VUCA à Genève, Vaud, Neuchâtel, Valais, Fribourg et Zürich, Suisse Romande
