I recently returned from a two-week hiking adventure in Patagonia – a bucket-list trip to celebrate a milestone birthday. While truly a vacation adventure, the amazing experience reinforced the importance of some business best practices.
Establish Shared Expectations
When planning a project or activity, establishing clear, shared expectations reduces confusion and ensures everyone is aligned on the approach and the objective. Prior to departure, the adventure travel company provided detailed packing and gear lists, and screened guests to ensure they were up for the strenuous hikes that were planned. During the multi-day hiking adventure our guides took time each evening to lay out the next day’s activities, including what time we’d leave, the distance we would cover, aspects of the terrain and elevation gain, as well as predicted weather and what layers to pack. They set our expectations clearly about what we would be facing the coming day so we would be prepared, and the only surprises were the extraordinary peaks and vistas.
And while there can be, and were, unexpected events (e.g., severe winds), we were all aligned and then could appreciate and understand the resulting decision, which in our case meant deciding not to hike to the higher, more exposed viewpoint where a hiker in a different group had been blown off the trail and suffered a broken leg.
Similarly, at Communiqué PR we work to establish shared expectations with our clients so collectively we can make the best decisions, drive the results they are looking for, and eliminate surprises. When something unforeseen arises, we can adjust and adapt in order to achieve the expected results.
Shift Your Perspective
We can get locked into believing our personal perspective is accurate and the only way to see something. However, it is rarely as black and white as we think. While hiking in Patagonia, we looked up to see what appeared to be one, solid, remarkable peak. Only after hiking a few miles and changing our viewpoint did we see it was three separate peaks – all equally impressive.
Our guide had explained this but from the original viewpoint, our group could not distinguish the three peaks from each other. In business we can get locked into believing our viewpoint is correct and we aren’t able to see the perspectives shared by others. Being open to the other realities can ensure you are making good decisions. It is a good reminder to try to “see” things from other points of view.
In business this can mean soliciting input from others, considering how a message might be received by disparate audiences and/or evaluating the position of a decision maker (e.g., economic buyer, user buyer or coach) and how that position influences their perspective. By considering these alternative perspectives we will be better able to drive the right results.
Celebrate Accomplishments Together
At the end of each day, our group would gather to share photos and stories from the day’s journey. We reflected on the distance covered, the challenges we overcame, including crazy wind and nagging blisters, and shared our gratitude for such an amazing adventure. Celebrating together made each day’s success all the sweeter.
It is easy to forget to celebrate accomplishments. We get busy doing the work and forget to take time to reflect and celebrate the results achieved. We move on to the next project. At Communiqué PR, we aim to take time to gather to celebrate the small wins and the big accomplishments, as well as just have time together outside of doing the work. It can be challenging to make the time and, admittedly, there are times we have let it slide. But each time we get together to celebrate with our team, it makes the successes more meaningful.
I am incredibly grateful for my remarkable team. Their expertise, dedication, and support made it possible for me to experience this bucket-list trip. The trip provided me with an opportunity to get some distance from work, shift my perspective a bit, and celebrate life!
Also, I want to give a shout out to MT Sobek and its Patagonia team, who made this trip so unbelievably fabulous.