Snorkeling & Leadership: 12 Practices for Engaged & Thriving Teams

My mom was always afraid of the water. I never remember her swimming when I was a child. She would sometimes pull my little sister along in various floaty devices, in shallow pool water, just to make her smile, but we knew she was afraid.

My dad has always been a driving force in our family. He has always pushed my mother to venture from her comfort zone and has been quite successful through the years. Before we went to the Marshall Islands to live, “Papa” got the bright idea that the only reason my mom didn’t like the water was because, without glasses, she was legally blind in both eyes. She disagreed, but he insisted on spending a week’s salary, investing in a prescription mask (who knew there was such a thing forty years ago?) for my frightened mother.

I remember the first time she went into the calm and clear lagoon with us. At my father’s prompting and the happy cheering from my sisters and me, she immersed her mask-clad face into the sea blue world of sun diamonds and living coral and the breathtakingly bright fish that played alongside the striped brown schools. We could hear her snorkel-echoing gasp as, for the first time ever, she saw a real life, unending aquarium. Within the first day, she was floating, face down (and unsupported), like the rest of us, in the waist-deep paradise of untouched beauty. She didn’t know that she could swim.

How can you open the eyes of your team?

It’s easier than you think to provide that prescription mask,” to foster vision, reduce anxiety, and build a strong, talent-focused team:

1. Mission & Values Alignment

   - Repeatedly connecting daily tasks to the your organization’s larger mission and vision.

2. Regular Team Huddles

   - Brief, consistent meetings to align on priorities, celebrate wins, and address concerns.

3. Storytelling & Client Impact

   - Sharing the real “why” behind the work.

4. Transparent Performance Metrics

   - Sharing KPIs (team success markers) with context, so the team understands their impact and progress.

5. Cross-Training & Skill Development

   - Helping team members grow by exposing them to new roles or skills.

6. Personalized Growth Plans

   - Identifying individual strengths and career goals, then seeking to foster connections for mentorship or training.

7. Empowered Problem-Solving

   - Giving staff autonomy to find and implement solutions within their scope.

8. Recognition & Appreciation - Regularly highlighting individual and team achievements in meaningful ways.

9. Celebrating Milestones

   - Recognizing work anniversaries, completed projects, and major team wins.

10. Open-Door Leadership

    - Making yourself approachable and responsive to concerns, engendering trust.

    - Encouraging questions, ideas, and honest feedback without fear of judgment.

11. Resilience & Stress Management Support

    - Pointing staff to available mental health resources, working toward flexible scheduling, or even debriefing sessions after a tough shift.

12. Team Socials & Bonding Activities

    - Informal gatherings to strengthen relationships and reduce stress.

Life is scary. The people in our organizations and in our lives often have little idea of where we’re headed. If you provide vision, most people will begin to loose their fear. They’ll begin to discover talents that never would have known they had. They’ll follow you to the … depths of the ocean.