After years of learning to surf, I’ve discovered powerful leadership lessons that apply far beyond the ocean. Today’s lesson is simple but important: purposeful practice makes progress.
In surfing, we need to intuitively combine numerous micro-skills in the moment to paddle ourselves into a wave and actually stand up and ride that wave. Examples include: paddling technique, positioning ourselves on the board, sensing the power and speed of the wave, pop-up timing, and so much more.
And while we can look from the shore and assess the conditions, you don’t really know until you get out there. Plus, the conditions are always changing, and we need to get better at sensing and responding in the moment.
While this lesson applies to many aspects of business and solving complex problems, let’s apply it to product management.
Think about all the skills involved: creating a vision, setting goals, understanding customer needs, measuring value, designing experiments, conducting market research, stakeholder communication, team collaboration, priority negotiation (and more) – and each of these has its own set of micro-skills!
Sure, we can read books, watch videos, and attend training. But without meaningful practice, we’re not truly growing our capabilities.
Let me share two contrasting stories:
Path 1 – Learning by consumption.
I taught a PSPO training, and a year later, the same group wanted to take the advanced course. However, during the advanced session, I discovered they hadn’t implemented the basic product strategy elements from the first course. Without building and practicing those foundational skills, they were stuck with an overwhelming backlog of random requests and frustrated stakeholders.
Path 2 – Learning by practicing.
In contrast, another client engaged me for coaching sessions following their PSPO training to put their learning into practice. Within months, they had developed a clear Product Vision, established value measures for better decision-making, and improved stakeholder engagement. The team felt more confident and purposeful in their work.
This mirrors my surfing journey.
After a few years, I’m much better than when I started, but I still have so much to learn. I surf in one area of Costa Rica, using one type of board – that’s my comfort zone. Similarly in product management, you might feel confident in your comfort zone until a new situation challenges you to expand your skills.
The breadth of knowledge needed for leadership today might seem overwhelming.
Remember: you don’t need to be an expert at everything. What matters is continuously and purposefully practicing – seeking to learn through experience and pushing that growth edge.
Want to experience this transformation firsthand? Join my Agile Leadership Surf Camp in Costa Rica, where we use learning to surf as a tool to more deeply embody agility and grow our leadership capacity.
And if Surf Camp isn’t your thing but you do want to apply these concepts to help your leaders and teams be more adaptive, innovative, and resilient, contact me here to discuss training and/or coaching services.
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