How to Lead in Permanent Whitewater

What I learned from coaching people to navigate the relentless, uncertain waters of change

What I learned from coaching people to navigate the relentless, uncertain waters of change

“It has been my experience, that you never get out of the rapids — the feeling is one of continuous upset and chaos.” — Peter Vaill

Permanent whitewater is the new normal.

In a relentlessly changing environment, the complexity of problems is increasing faster than our ability to solve them. Trying to play catch up breaks people down and burns them out.

The dynamics in our work lives create unexpected undercurrents, but also pose unforeseen opportunities — that’s the beauty of permanent whitewater.

To thrive, we must embrace its perpetually changing, uncertain nature.

Mastering permanent whitewater

Dealing with continuous change results in a crisis of fatigue, fear, and loss of control. Fighting what we can’t control is exhausting — your team needs to be energized emotionally and mentally so they can lead and perform at their best.

“I’ve learned that we must behave more flexible at work — I thought we we…