Pool or Open Water? What Leadership Really Needs Today

After a swim in the sea, I found myself thinking about the core question of changed conditions for leaders today, and landed on a metaphor that, to me, fits remarkably well: the question is no longer "How do I swim my lane faster?" but "How do I stay capable of acting in open water, when current, visibility, and conditions keep changing?"

Rhythm, breath, and the long breath that holds even without an audience get you into the water and keep you there. Adaptability is what gets you to the goal — when the goal itself is no longer fixed as it is in the pool, but shifts with the conditions at sea.

In the pool, you know every lane. The water temperature is constant, the current is zero, the finish line is visible. Here, three basic virtues are enough to get you there: a rhythm that carries you across the whole distance instead of burning out in a sprint; calm breathing that doesn't shorten even under pressure; and the discipline to deliver the same quality on lane 30 as on lane 1 — regardless of whether anyone is still watching.

At sea, the same basic virtues still apply. But they're no longer enough.

Pool: Control

• - Clear lanes, constant conditions
• - The plan from lane 1 still works on lane 40
• - Success = consistently sustaining rhythm, breath, and technique

Sea: Adaptation

- Current, waves, and visibility change with every meter

- The plan from the start is often already outdated after 200 meters

- Success = the ability to decide anew while in motion

Rhythm, breath, and staying power remain the foundation — without them, no one gets far. But the sea additionally demands three qualities that never come into play in the pool:

1. 1. Orientation without fixed lines. No lane markers, no pool edge as a reference point. You navigate by landmarks, by feel, by the sun. In business, that means making decisions even when yesterday's frame of reference no longer holds.
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3. 2. Composure toward what you can't control. A wave that throws off your rhythm isn't a disruption — it's the rule. Fighting the current in the sea costs you strength. Working with it still gets you there, just by a different route than planned.
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5. 3. Respect instead of fear of the changed situation. The sea isn't hostile, but it isn't neutral either. Underestimate it, and it will surprise you. Respect it, and you prepare for variance instead of a single plan.

Orientation, composure, and respect can't be trained in a lane. They only emerge where the pool edge no longer offers safety — and that's exactly what separates leadership in control mode from leadership in open water.

Which of your leadership habits stop working at sea?

I'd love to hear your thoughts.