🌊 When the Current Pulls You Under
What riptides taught me about leadership, systems, and survival
I live in Florida, and we spend a lot of time at the beach. Families line the shore with umbrellas and coolers, kids run toward the water, and everyone seems to carry the same image in their mind: sunshine, waves, and the perfect day. But the ocean doesn’t always match our expectations—and if you aren’t paying attention, it can turn dangerous, fast.
One of the most serious risks is the rip current—a powerful pull beneath the surface that can knock you off your feet and drag you into deep water before you realize what’s happening. Even standing in shallow water, you can feel the sand shifting beneath you—a subtle sucking sensation that makes you feel unstable. It’s easy to overlook in the moment, but that gentle pull can quickly turn into something far more dangerous if you keep moving forward without adjusting.
The signs are there. Lifeguard stands post colored warning flags to alert you to the level of danger. Beaches display diagrams. And if you look closely, you can often spot the break in the wave pattern that signals a riptide. But too many people get so focused on the fun, on the picture in their head of how the day is “supposed” to go, that they ignore what’s right in front of them.
They wade in anyway.
And once they’re caught in the current, swimming harder doesn’t help. You have to shift. Change direction. Know the plan. Or risk being pulled under.
🧭 Leadership Works the Same Way
Leadership can feel just like that.
Calm on the surface. Busy, but manageable. Until something shifts—and suddenly, you’re off balance. Systems start to fray. Morale dips. Conflict bubbles up. And the more you try to muscle through it, the more exhausted (and ineffective) you become.
Here’s the truth:
Most businesses don’t collapse in a single wave.
They drift—quietly, steadily—because no one noticed, no one named it, and no one shifted course.
By the time the current takes them under, they’re fighting a force they never fully understood.
But there’s good news:
Whether you’re feeling the pull or just want to be sure you’re not drifting, the same principles that keep you safe in the ocean apply in business, too.
🔍 Learn to Spot What Pulls You Off Course
Leadership challenges often feel small at first—but they can pull entire organizations into dangerous territory.
A team lead is a great performer in operations, but creates drama and confusion for their team. No one wants to confront it.
A department head resists feedback and operates in a silo—but they’ve been around forever, and letting them go would “rock the boat.”
An owner who doesn’t trust their team micromanages decisions, bottlenecking progress and pushing away top talent.
These aren't surface-level issues. They're signs of a riptide.
You may be standing in only ankle-deep water. But that subtle pull—the one you think you can manage—can suddenly sweep you away. And in business, that can mean stalled growth, lost client trust, drained morale, and profit slipping away long before anyone notices.
🚩 Pay Attention to the Flags
Your systems are speaking—are you paying attention?
At the beach, red flags mean high danger. In business, your flags might look like:
A revolving door of new hires who don’t stick around
Client complaints are explained away
The same issues keep surfacing
Leaders avoiding hard conversations because there’s no structure to guide them
Training that gets skipped or forgotten because no one knows where the resources live
Processes that “kind of work,” but only because your best people keep filling in the gaps
These are signs. Indicators. You don’t need to panic—but you do need to pause.
Even small shifts—like documenting core procedures, setting clearer decision rights, or organizing your knowledge hub—can dramatically reduce confusion and prevent future chaos. These are the kinds of choices that build consistency, and consistency is what keeps people safe when the water gets rough.
🧭 Know What to Do If You Get Pulled In
No one plans to be caught in a rip current—but leaders should always plan for how they’ll respond.
Don’t waste energy by doing more or going faster. That’s how you drown—in the ocean and in business. Step back. Look at what’s pulling you. Reevaluate what matters, what’s working, and what needs to change.
Stop trying to swim harder in the same direction. If the path isn’t working, don’t push harder—Shift. Delegate. Reroute.
Bring in help. Lifeguards exist for a reason—and so do trusted advisors, consultants, and fractional support professionals.
The goal isn’t to look perfect. The goal is to survive—and then to build better.
Sometimes, clarity is what’s missing. Sometimes it’s consistency. Sometimes, it's care. But those aren’t things you add in once the crisis is over. They’re the things that carry you through it.
🌅 Protect What You’re Building
At On The Way Enterprises, we help organizations read the conditions, spot the flags, and respond with wisdom—not panic. Our work always centers on these three anchors:
💡 Clarity
Helping leaders define expectations, roles, and communication norms that prevent confusion before it starts.
🔁 Consistency
Designing systems that remove guesswork—whether that’s training processes, feedback rhythms, or internal workflows.
❤️ Care
Embedding support and intention into how you lead your people—so they don’t just survive, they grow.
🛟 Before You Head Toward the Waves
Before you head toward the waves, pause long enough to ask yourself:
Am I looking for warning signs—or failing to evaluate simply because the water looks calm?
Where is the current already shifting beneath my team—and am I equipped to respond?
Are our systems built to guide, anchor, and support—or are we floating on instinct?
What would it take to lead with more clarity, more consistency, and more care—before the next pull begins?
Let's Keep You Out of Dangerous Waters
You don’t have to wait for a rescue. You can build a better system before the next current hits.
👉 Need help spotting your flags or setting up safer systems?
Let’s talk.
