Inc. Magazine
While sitting by a river, a hidden boulder shifted the view—and perspective. Just like water, leaders must learn to flow around obstacles instead of resisting them. By reframing challenges, seeking new paths, leveraging support, and taking responsibility, you stay in motion. Leadership is not about avoiding blocks, but adapting with purpose and resilience.
How to Flow Like a River, No Matter the Obstacles
Author: Moshe Engelberg
I was recently hiking along the beautiful Fall River in the Rocky Mountains. I was feeling one with nature and excited to find the perfect rock where I could sit and meditate. After some scouting around, there it was—in the middle of the river! I rock-hopped (OK, rock-wobbled!) my way over, sat down, and gazed upriver at the picturesque flow of water cascading toward me over smaller rocks.
Surprise, there’s a boulder!
Then, as I did a 180 to look downriver, right in front of me was a massive boulder, blocking my view and—let’s face it—ruining the whole vibe. My inner monologue: “WTF! Why is this boulder here? This isn’t what I planned. What’s it doing in the middle of my view?”
I was annoyed, fuming inwardly. I chose to sit there, but somehow it didn’t quite register that the boulder was also a part of my chosen view.
So I sat there, breathing deeply. Opening my eyes a bit wider, I noticed that the river was still flowing. It was not stopped by the boulder at all. It simply found different ways to move forward, with no resistance.
The river flowed to the right of the boulder, with a powerful cascade of whitewater, a rush of energy. To the left, the water flowed more gently, but still with purpose. Then, both streams rejoined below the boulder, continuing their journey in one flow.
Boulders and obstacles in leadership
Here’s the thing—inevitably in life and leadership, you will encounter big boulders. They get in your way, block your view, and make you frustrated. The truth? The river still flows, and so can you.
You can’t always move the boulder. So stop trying. However, you can always choose a different vantage point, find a way to flow around it, or embark on a totally different path.
That’s the leadership lesson—seeing beyond the obstacles and recognizing that they aren’t necessarily dead ends; they’re invitations to get creative and to make new and different choices.
What’s one obstacle that’s been frustrating you for a long time? How might you shift your perspective to find a new solution?
5 action steps for leaders to flow when there are obstacles
1. Shift your perspective. When faced with a roadblock, pause and look around. Are there alternative paths you haven’t seen yet? Sometimes, the obstacle is exactly what forces you to find new ways to grow.
2. Move past frustration. When you hit an obstacle, feel the frustration, and then let it go. Shift from irritation to curiosity. Look for the opportunity hidden within the challenge.
3. Take a breath and reframe. To get unstuck, sometimes you just need to pause and breathe. Take a moment to step outside of the situation and gain perspective, and redirect your energy to the things you can control.
4. Leverage team support. Sometimes, you need help to see beyond the boulder. Involve your team in brainstorming solutions. Set the tone of no wrong answers to foster greater creativity.
5. Assume responsibility. Own your part of being confronted by the obstacle. Notice what choices you made, or didn’t make, to get there. No judgment, just learning and flowing.
Choose to lead like a river
Obstacles are inevitable in leadership and life, and they don’t have to shut you down. Shift your perspective and open yourself up to new paths forward. Like the river that keeps flowing despite the boulder in its path, there are always multiple ways to reach your destination.
Embrace the challenge, look for options, and move forward with creative energy. This is the heart of love-powered leadership: seeing challenges as opportunities, finding new solutions, and leading with purpose. The journey may be full of twists and turns, and with the right mindset, you’ll keep flowing forward.
Credits: TCA, LLC.