It Starts With YOU…But It’s Not About You

I consider myself bilingual, I speak American and Canadian, but if you want a lesson in true linguistic flexibility, go to Switzerland where you can listen to people seamlessly shift between 3-4 languages in the course of a discussion - mind blowing.

This August, StoneWater Training embarked on our Summer 2025 Expedition to Europe, where we partnered with seasoned executives from diverse backgrounds. Our mission was to take their ability to lead themselves and others to the next level.

The first week focused on building and reinforcing a strong personal foundation. We dropped leaders off alone in a dense, hilly forest at an unknown location. They quickly came to appreciate the power of self-awareness, asking, "Where am I, and where do I need to go?"

Full disclosure, some of the participants were probably thinking, “Who the hell are these people dropping me off in the middle of nowhere?!”

I have a compass, when I think I know a better direction than it, I usually end up lost, in a swamp at 2 AM wondering if that stick is a water moccasin.

This exercise reinforced the same idea. Our values serve as an internal moral compass—ignore them at your peril.

The feeling of accomplishment (and relief) from finding points cached in the mountains illustrated how accomplishing intentional goals builds momentum and helps us gauge progress in both our professional and personal lives

On another day, we scaled granite cliffs in small teams. Measured, intentional movements quickly added up to significant vertical progress. It’s a powerful demonstration of how habits, seemingly insignificant in isolation, often spell the difference between success and failure over time.

Setting protection in small cracks and crevices is like making sure we're grounded and supported in life; the shakier the things you anchor your life to, the greater the risk you take.

If you push your limits, you will fall. That’s natural and a part of growth. If you are supported by a team and have solid anchors, you will be safe and can get back on the rock (once your heart rate gets below 200 bpm). Who’s your team and what are your anchors?

Week two was spent in high-intensity leadership application in engineered crisis situations. All the theory and training from week one was put to the test in messy, chaotic, and dynamic scenarios designed to challenge leaders’ focus, communication, and decision-making in “no-win” situations. Debriefs were insightful, humbling, and immediately applicable. Each day built on the previous one, stretching and testing leaders as they pursued meaningful growth.

It’s easy to lead well in a comfortable conference room where all the decisions are theoretical. It’s whole different game leading teams in harsh, unpredictable conditions but growth rarely comes in plush, comfortable settings.

Three Key Takeaways:

1. Leadership principles are universal. It starts with you, but it’s not about you. Regardless of your industry, background, or culture, if you want to lead others with excellence, you must first lead yourself.

2. Focus the majority of your efforts on known risks vs. hypothetical ones. A big part of leadership is deciding where to focus your main effort and where to assume risk. This isn’t being cavalier; it’s being realistic and understanding that we have limited time and resources. Spread yourself too thin trying to cover all possibilities, and you might fail to accomplish your primary task.

3. Keep the most important thing, the most important thing. Leaders need to stay focused, intentional, and proactive. Life will throw challenges, distractions, and attractive side-shows your way. These can cause you to lose sight of your team’s purpose, leaving you busy but making no progress. Stay focused on the main thing!

These are all lessons we intuitively know, but it’s amazing how stress, pressure, and fatigue can cloud our judgment. While these lessons can be learned from a book, they are powerfully imprinted when practiced in a wild environment, challenged in a myriad of ways, and supported by a motivated team of fellow leaders.