It was October 22, 2022. Professional surfer, Tyler Warren, was riding the Southern California waves during the San Onofre Surf Club contest when a great white shark burst out of the water behind him (photo credit: Jordan Anast). Tyler was dialed into his flow state in the competition and thought all of the yelling was to cheer him on.   

Once Warren found out, his response was, “Clashes with sharks are rare, even where they’ve coexisted with beachgoers for decades. I usually don’t really think about sharks because you can just freak yourself out.” Of course, he was back in the water soon after, focused on competing and catching the next wave.

Metaphorically, how often do we worry about sharks that will never show up? How much time and energy are wasted, or meaningful moments lost because of fear of the shark? Or perhaps the sharks that show up are merely distractions, like the nurse shark who is known as the couch potato of the ocean and is no threat to humans.

There are sharks all around us in the shape of adversity, change and the unknown. The economy is uncertain. The labor market is changing with shifts in both employer and employee demands. Transformation and automation are shifting the way work gets done. Mergers and acquisitions bring both adversity and growth, changing the playing field. 

When it’s impossible to control what’s happening around us, its time for the WaveLeader within to show up. Like really, show up. This means showing up for oneself first, and then showing up for others. When we address our own sharks, we can face out and be the leader others need so they can keep their own sharks at bay.   

Here are three lessons from these two greats in action.

Lesson #1 Keep your eye on the goal, avoid distractions

Time sucking, non-value-added distractions are all around us every day. Unnecessary meetings, too many people believing they need to be involved in decisions, wasting time thinking about all of the “what if’s” that will never happen. The king of all distractions is, the inability to make difficult choices about the top few priorities.

“When we are aligned with what’s deeply important to us, we live with clarity, courage, and are empowered to make difficult choices.” @charles.Sue.Wah.Sing

Imagine what would be possible if our most precious resources, time and energy, were channeled towards one thing, achieving the goal.

The first step to changing the game is, create a compelling vision. Close your eyes and think about what you want. If you could design the future, what would it be like? How would life be different? How would you be leading? How would others experience you? What would the positive impact be? What are the indicators of success? Write this down. This is the start of your compelling vision. You have to know where you want to go to stay on course. 

When distractions show up ask, “Will this support achieving the future, or will it be a distraction? If it isn’t moving you towards what you want, you have an intentional “D” choice to make: Decline, Delay or Do.  They key here is, you are being intentional about your choices on how to spend your time rather than getting sucked into the swirl of everyday life.

Lesson #2 Tame your mind, or fear will rob you

Mindset is everything. What you believe is what you get. Tame your mind, or a robber named Fear will show up and steal your capability, confidence and joy. Fear will shrink you, when you are meant to rise up in moments that matter.

The best way I have found to tame your mind is to be clear on your why, and come from a place of purpose. For most people, their why is related to making a difference, a positive impact in some way. The more specific you can get on your why, the stronger the force will be within you. Ask yourself, what really matters to you?  Why does this matter? Then ask why at least two more times to peel back the layers and take it deeper until you find something so strong that you feel it in your gut or your heart. This is when you connect to a purpose that will pull you forward to overcome any challenges that dares to put itself in front of you.

‘If you find a why, then you can bear any how.’ - Viktor E. Frankl quoting Friedrich Nietzsche

Lesson # 3 Walk your path

While there is value, in lifting up and looking around to scan the environment and learn from what others are doing. You can’t let what you see sway a compromise from your core values. You have to confidently walk your own path and chart your own course. You must be able to walk authentically, and vulnerability with your own bare feet.

Be decisive and wash away the second guessing, comparing or doubting. If you find yourself rethinking a decision made, literally go wash your hands and declare your moving on. There are very few decisions that are unfixable. What’s more important is the type of leader you are being when you make the decision.

When you find yourself comparing, notice who you are comparing yourself to and why. Is the comparison for the sake of learning, raising your standards and elevating your performance? Do you have shared values with who you are comparing yourself to? If the comparison is tearing you down, rather than elevating you, it’s time to either reframe the narrative, stop the comparison or find someone else to learn from.

What are your sharks? Reveal them, look them in their ugly faces without fear and name them so you can focus on competing. When you keep your eye on the goal, tame your mind and walk your path to become a WaveLeader.

WaveLeader: one who thrives in adversity, change and the unknown.