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Leadership topic - Surf Band

The renewal of Surfing…

The renewal of Surfing…

Mar 9, 2025 | , ,

Where I was raised in Texas, we didn’t do a lot Surfing…. but we did do a lot of water skiing. As I was graduating from High School, my parents bought a small “fishing shack” on a local lake – including a “ski boat”.  It BARELY qualified, and probably by a factor of 10 to 1, I spent more time working ON the boat than USING the boat… but no matter.  Like Surfing, the basic principles are the same – a wing gliding on top of the water, and unlike snow skiing, you lean back.  Two skis is easier to get up on as you have twice the surface area, and you put the rope right between the skis… but once up, pretty boring. Slalom skiing is where it is at, but requires a lot of balance, strength, and frankly guts.  For the first few seconds, the water hits you right in the face until the ski hits “planing” speed – where you can now stand up, lean back, and off you go…

How do you execute Surfing?

How do you execute Surfing?

Mar 8, 2025 | , ,

As I started this series on Surf music, today’s song is probably what came to mind first.  The song—this version as well as cover versions—has been featured in over 20 films and television series since 1964, appearing at least once a decade since. You may not know the name of it, but the opening and ongoing drums instantly identify it as one of the most well-known songs of that era…. and one that all drummers (and frankly guitarists) have to know how to play.  It has the infectious driving beat and fun-loving spirit that captures the Surf era so well…  So how do we remember when waves are cresting around us, we don’t have to duck and cover, or be fearful… we can Surf?

Surfing Wonder

Surfing Wonder

Mar 7, 2025 | , ,

An exercise we did this week was to find a picture of ourselves before 10 – hopefully, around 6 or 8 – before many of the “worlds” voices have had a chance to change the “music” in your life.  Pictures were posted of “little kids” invariably smiling, many of them twirling, dancing, playing… enjoying life. The concept is that is your natural self … and worth finding if you want to really understand some of your true talent/nature that has likely been covered up.  And even with that instruction, many of us sheepishly said what we saw… and our Pod members chimed in with what they noticed, and what they saw both in the picture… and the adult version of that “kid” that is in front of them now… and were much more positive than the person being discussed.   For me, there were two words that resonated….

When do you observe Surfing?

When do you observe Surfing?

Mar 6, 2025 | , ,

As I hope you have noticed, the “talent” that gave us Surf music came from all over.  By the early 60’s, globally the availability of relatively inexpensive amps and guitars, along with the popularity of radio and TV created a tidal wave of kids trying to figure out how to put that all together into something that would Surf them into fame.  Today’s come from the heart of real Surf Country – Orange County California, and the classic line up of “friends from Santa Ana High School”.  And like many groups, this one will make a huge impact, but not Surf the wave for very long…

What manages to Surf?

What manages to Surf?

Mar 4, 2025 | , ,

We were recently out at a pond with our daughter/granddaughters… and of course, we started skipping rocks.  The delicate approach of first finding a smooth, flat rock, and then throwing it sidearm so it would land nearly parallel with the surface of the water came back to me….. after a few misses 😉  Watching the rock bounce 2, 3… 5… 15 times… was mesmerizing. And the physics are a lot like surfing – simply put, you must have enough force “up” to keep you from sinking. Put differently, so long as you have enough forward momentum, you only need a little upward thrust to keep you moving. And that is the hard part about it… it is balancing – while moving – and relaxing and letting it simply go forward…harnessing the energy vs. trying to fight it…

Can you engage with Surfing?

Can you engage with Surfing?

Mar 3, 2025 | , ,

One of my favorite “memes” is Captain Piccard with his head down, captioned, “Damage Report Number 1”.  Every day, a new wave crashes over us. I have at least stopped consuming ‘news’ ….as there isn’t much that is, and that that is… is mostly beyond my control.  Instead, I am in workshops on the NeuroScience of Change. We have weekly themes, daily reminders, and hourly check-ins’ – helping us to focus – a challenge for me, but I have embraced it.  One practice really resonated… and reminded me of one of my favorite types of music and the perfect soundtrack for our times… so… Let’s Go Surfing!!!