Camping is a way of leadership

This weekend I went camping with my 5 year old son, my best friend and his two boys. Aside from the great bonding experience we had, I learned something about leadership. Let me explain.

When we arrived at the camp site, the first thing I told my son and his boys was that we needed to unpack the car and set up our tent. I explained that we had to do this first before we did anything else in case it rained. Because my son had never been camping, I had him right next to me as we placed the tarp on the ground. He held the stakes as I hammered them into the earth. He held the tent poles as I tied the ropes of the tent to the stakes. He unrolled the bedding as I handed him the sleeping bags.
Each task came with an explanation of why we did things and why it was important to do the things in the order we did them. Then it was time to build the fire.

My son and his friends wanted a big fire. They immediately went for the thick logs with the logic that they would build the biggest fire. I carefully explained that in order to build a big fire, we need to start with some small kindling. So, my friend and the boys gathered dried branches and leaves from the ground and placed them in a pile in the fire pit. Then they watched as I carefully lit the small twigs and leaves and softly blew on the embers until they started to flame.

Once they flamed, we placed slightly larger dried branches on the small flame and made a bigger flame. Then once that flame caught, we placed the big logs leaning against each other in a pyramid shape over the flame and watched as the fire grew. It burned bright for hours and hours. The only thing we had to do was add large logs to the fire every hour or so to keep it going.

The same is true with leadership. When building a team, start with a vision. Let the followers know where you are going, what you will do when you get there, and how you will be with them every step along the way. Stay beside them. Coach them. Show them how to do the task by demonstrating the skill they need to learn. Start small. Constantly watch over the flame that you build inside of them blowing softly on the embers that are glowing inside of them. Save the big tasks for last. By starting with the small tasks you can build the confidence necessary to create a strong, stable fire that only needs a few logs from you every so often in order to stay burning.

Over time, you will soon be able to warm yourself by a fire that was built by you, and maintained by others. You will sleep soundly in a campsite that provides the shelter and warmth you need from the coldest of elements.