Learning Lessons From Divers

What Leaders Can Learn from Scuba Divers

I spend a good portion of my professional life travelling to deliver keynote talks. Some of my clients are engineers, farmers, and even pet food supply distributors. I have been a speaker at Google, SpaceX, TED, and IBM, not to exclude the countless museums, clubs, classrooms and social gatherings. So what can a cave diver offer to a non-diving audience? I've never given the same talk twice, so it is a thought-provoking challenge to weave my experiences into great lessons for life and business.

The moment I slip beneath the water's surface, the world changes. Noise fades, movements slow, and every decision carries weight. It's a realm where good preparation meets the unpredictable and a calm head is as important as skill. For business strategists, the parallels are striking. Much like the ocean, the corporate landscape is dynamic, unforgiving, and full of hidden currents that can either propel a company forward or pull it into trouble.

A seasoned diver never enters the water without a plan. They study the dive site, assess the conditions, and check their gear meticulously. But they also know good plans are easily derailed after first contact with reality. An unexpected current, poor visibility, or equipment failures can require immediate adaptation. Business leaders must embrace the same explorer's mindset—planning thoroughly but remaining flexible. Markets shift, competitors make surprising moves, and global events can throw strategies into disarray. The key isn't just having a plan but knowing when and how to pivot safely or abort.

Breathing is everything underwater. A diver who panics and breathes too fast drains their air supply, shortening their dive and increasing risk. The most experienced divers remain calm, controlling their breathing rate even when faced with a challenge. Leaders often face high-pressure situations in business—financial downturns, product failures, internal crises. The ones who stay composed and don't react impulsively are the ones who make it through. Panic leads to rash decisions, while controlled thinking allows for solutions-thinking.

Divers also know they cannot go it alone. Even the most experienced ones rely on building a great team. Trust and communication are non-negotiable because, in an emergency, a dive partner may be the difference between survival and disaster. In business, collaboration is essential, too. The best strategists listen, delegate, and rely on their teams. Leadership isn't about going solo—it's about knowing who to trust when the stakes are high.

Frankly, cave divers are excellent at risk assessment and mitigation. We're not afraid to take on difficult tasks and enjoy the aspects of problem-solving that can mitigate some of the risks. For investors and corporate leaders, understanding risk, stepping into fear, and thinking outside the box can be critical to growth.

And then there's the final lesson: respect the environment. Divers understand that they are visitors in a world far older and more powerful and important than they are. Business leaders who respect their market, their customers, and the changing tides of industry are the ones who endure. Like the ocean, business is vast, unpredictable, and awe-inspiring. Navigate it wisely.

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Jill is represented by Speaker’s Spotlight.

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Since moving to Canada in 2018 I have learned that there are a few things that tie this diverse mosaic of a society together. Hockey. The Tragically Hip. Good beer. Poutine. Nanaimo bars, etc…etc. Not least among these is the heroic effort of Terry Fox. (Yes, that lump in your throat is shared by an entire nation…) - Robert

For those not familiar with Terry Fox and his courageous cross-Canada run for cancer research, here’s a Wiki link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terry_Fox

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Jill reads Chapter Five of Technical Diver and Naval Aviator Peter Hunt’s exciting book “The Lost Intruder” -

You can get all of Peter Hunt’s remarkable books here.

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One of the reasons we chose to live in our small town is the extensive recreational infrastructure. We have a multi-use trail at the end of our street that connects hundreds of kilometers in eastern Ontario. We can leave our house and ride to Ottawa or Montreal and rarely have to share our route with motor traffic.

This is the trail as it winds through our town. The gravel surface is for ATVs, horses, and snow mobiles. The asphalt is for people, dogs, and bikes. There are several bridges that take the trail over rivers and streams. The middle picture, above, is the bridge near our home. We live about 100 meters up on the left side of the image. The Mississippi river is raging right now, due to snow melt and run off. This is the Ontario Mississippi, and it does not connect with the more famous and much larger Mississippi in the U.S. Our river flows into the Ottawa and eventually to the St. Lawrence and beyond to the Atlantic Ocean. See…We Are Water…we are all connected.

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No matter the trail you choose today, please remember that our journeys are much smoother when we Love One Another!

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