Taught by a passionate professional with a gift for teaching, surfing is a sport from which every manager can usefully draw inspiration for their professional life. Indeed, to enjoy it, whether you are a beginner or a little more experienced, there are a few key principles to remember.
A sense of observation
Reading the sea, watching the waves, listening to your perceptions: this is the first stage of the session. And it is repeated throughout, whether the sea is calm – to seize the slightest opportunity – or rough, to anticipate danger. Rationalising the environment in advance is pointless; above all, you have to grasp it, understand it. The direction of the wind, the timing of the tide, but also the shape of the waves and, by watching the other surfers, the current: so many factors that will shape the environment at a given moment. Professionals “read” the sea in a few seconds; novices struggle for a few minutes, with the help of the former… but this exercise will determine success and enjoyment, before anything else.
Humility
Whatever the surfer’s determination and physical fitness, the ocean remains the stronger. Between waves and currents, the elements always dominate. The strength of the sea is not the only variable: a “close-out” wave or a confirmed shore break will keep the wise surfer away, and will break – physically too – the one who, through lack of observation or out of pride, chose to take the risk.
Even the water temperature must be taken into account: board shorts and a T-shirt may fit the image of an accomplished surfer, but hours spent in the water will, whatever its temperature, eventually get the better of the body…
Adaptation
The sea is always changing. From one day to the next, and during a single session, conditions change with the tide and the wind. What is true at one moment is no longer true a few minutes later. And a strategy sketched out at a given time is no longer suitable by the time it is put into action. There is no point, then, in drawing up plans for this shifting environment: it is at the very moment of action that you take a decision, deploy your talents – or hold them back.
The choice of equipment is one variable, for those who can switch from a shortboard to a longboard, or when choosing a wetsuit.
But positioning yourself on the water – right out back, at the right moment, in this ever-moving space – will guarantee a moment of pleasure and speed, beyond the danger zone.
Patience
As a corollary of the previous principles, patience must also guide action. In the face of the elements, there is no point trying to force your way if the moment has not come. Passionate surfers sometimes wait a long time for “the” wave, after a long and difficult paddle out. But more generally, everyone is concerned, if only to get “out back”: where conditions will be best for catching the wave. Waiting for a lull, then concentrating your efforts to get through the line of breaking waves when it vanishes for a moment… Or simply giving up, and waiting for the next day…
Letting go
This principle is no doubt one of the most powerful in terms of professional inspiration. Surfing is above all a sport of sensations. Looking at your position on the board means looking at your feet. And looking at your feet means falling. Turning round to see where the wave is, just behind you, means unbalancing yourself. And unbalancing yourself means falling. To catch the wave, you have to take the slope and pick up speed. Neither too much nor too little.
To identify these moments, rationalising is not just unnecessary – it is simply useless. There is no point “checking” indicators of speed, stability or position… No time! To gain “control” of the situation – or more precisely to “master” it – there is no other option than to let go, to give way to your sensations: in short, to (re)become human, with all your share of irrationality, even animality, and to trust yourself (again).
Solidarity
Appearances notwithstanding, surfing is not a solitary sport. In the face of the elements, solidarity is a strong, structuring principle: there is no surviving alone. While the action is carried out individually, (relative) mastery of the environment can only be achieved together.
Mutual respect
Finally, even though it is based on individual action, surfing is governed by rules of mutual respect which, for the time being at least, rest on each person’s ethics rather than on the judicialisation of our society. For safety’s sake and out of fairness, everyone observes and anticipates the other’s action, and adapts to it – including by “sacrificing” their own moment.
Linked to the principle of solidarity, this respect between people is the social cement of a society of individuals who love freedom and respect that of others.
Principles for conquest
Lastly, surfing may seem a passive sport, far removed from the principles of professional action – when it comes to conquering markets, for example. Waiting for the wave? Out of the question!
And yet, because of the principles set out above, the analogy does not seem so bad to us. Because rather than trying to make the most of every wave, observation, patience, adaptation, letting go and all the other principles seem perfectly suited to inspiring professional action: the kind that makes it possible to seize opportunities and mobilise energies in order to perform the effective, economical and elegant move, with pleasure and ease – in short, to reach the objective while making the best use of all one’s resources.
PS: If you happen to be near Anglet, on the French Basque coast, I warmly recommend Iban and his team: www.ecole-surf-uhaina.com
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