Where’s the wind blowing?

In the sport of sailing, the wind is your best friend and your worst enemy. First, you can’t move anywhere without it. Any of your attempts to move the boat without the wind is doomed to fail.

At the same time, you can only move in the direction that the wind is blowing. You can want to go north but if there’s only an easterly then, tough luck. Despite your best wishes, you’re at the mercy of the wind.

So your number one question in sailing is: Where’s the wind blowing?

Once you know which direction it’s coming from, you can plot a course. You can make adjustments to take you where you want to go. The wind teaches you acceptance. But it also teaches you something called “right action” or wu wei.

Tao masters believe that you should strive to achieve wu wei. It means that your actions are effortlessly in alignment with the current situation. You don’t do more than is required, regardless of the situation. If you need to wait, then you wait. If you need to work hard, then you work hard. No more than that.

The analogy of sailing is a great analogy of leadership. As a leader of the team, you must be aware of the current trends and their directions. And then once you understand, you put your team in the best position to take advantage.

But how much time do you spend thinking about the “wind” in your situation? Are you always analyzing to determine if you’re exerting just the right amount of energy? Or are you forcing your boat in the direction you want, regardless of the wind? One way is remarkably easier. You just have to ask:

Where’s the wind blowing?