The Art of Patience

The flight back from Morocco, after a desert expedition, was the icing on the cake.  Not only had we battled through sand storms, we had even had rain in the Sahara, we then had to contend with the inefficiency of Royal Air Meroc - it was a comedy of errors, without the laughter.

It took 1 3/4 hours to check in 35 people onto the plane, having been up at 3.30am this was rather frustrating.  I knew that the plane was over booked so rocking the boat, or plane, would not help us at all.  Some of us would have probably been bumped off the plane, so causing a stir was not the best option.  Being patient was.  So I stood at the check-in desk for nearly 2 hours assisting with the paperwork for the 35 of us.  Smiling helps, although at times this may have turned into a grimace, but eventually we all got on the plane.  I was the last to board and did not even have my bag scanned as the plane was revving up on the runway.  Three of teh team had been allocated the same seat, but they got upgraded.  We took off with all on-board.  Hurdle number one dealt with.

Hurdle number 2 came in the form of...guess what?  The inefficiency of Royal Air Meroc.  This time we had issues getting on board our connecting flight in Casablanca, e-tickets needed to be shown and we nearly left two behind as they had not got their tickets.  Why we had to show tickets when we had already been checked through, and we were in transit, was beyond me, but we all kept smiling and being polite.  Patience still being an art.  And then at the end of the runway it was announced that we had to turn back as we were missing a passenger.  Now this was confusing as there was no room for anyone else, all the seats were taken.  It turned out that we were not missing anyone, just that Danielle had not been registered correctly at the boarding gate and when they read her name out it, it was 'Meester Daniel'.

An hour and a half later we were airborne and so arrived late at Heathrow.   The rest of the team missed connecting flights to Belfast and I got stuck in diversions on the M4.

I would not choose this day to be my Ground Hog Day.

Delegation - one aspect of good leadership

The last trip that I led overseas was to Peru.  There were 26 clients and two Doctors with me, along with all the in-country guides, cooks, dish washers, waiters, porters, horse handlers, water provider and toilet digger.  Everyone knew what they were doing and when they were doing it.  It was a well oiled machine.

One aspect of being a good leader is to manage more and do less.

Being an expedition leader I tend to take on too much, I feel that I need to do everything right there and now and also need to know the plan for 3 days in advance.  It is a default setting in me.  My feedback from the two very capable doctors who were with me in Peru, Ruth and Ben, was to delegate more.  I was unaware of this and so my goal for the expedition to the Sahara tomorrow, is to delegate more to the doctor and guide that are coming with me.  I hope that Alison and Paul do not feel over stretched - that is my immediate thought.

What I really should be thinking is - I hope that I am not over stretched so that I can do my job properly.  Delegation, that is the key.

Leading Into Unknown Environments

A week tomorrow I will be leading a trek in the Sahara desert, a place that I have never been to before. So why am I leading this trek then?

It is amazing the number of people who say that I can not be qualified to lead a trip if I have not been to that destination before.  Maybe this is why there are so many people who never start their own business because they feel they are not qualified to do so.  If this was the case, nothing would ever be started as we would not have experienced it.  The key to all of this is to call upon those that have had that done it already, to ask for advice and support, to delegate and to trust in ones abilities.

I am not leading the expedition solely on my own, there will be numerous people working alongside me to ensure that everything runs safely and smoothly. This includes in-country agents, local guides, having risk assessments and crisis management strategies in place, 24 hr back up, satellite phones and a couple of medics on hand.  I am also calling on my own life skills and past experiences.  Not really on my own am I?

Is it the fear of the unknown or the lack of self confidence that prevents us from striving out on our own and doing something different?

Break the mould.