A few years ago, I took my family on an RV trip to the Canadian Rockies (Banff, Jasper, and Yoho). It was one of our most epic trips, and I’d love to do it again. If you’ve been there, you know what I mean. Some of you know that I’ve taken my family on a lot of epic RV trips. I’ve written about it before here. Since I’ve camped in 49 states, 5 Canadian provinces, and 37 national parks, people often ask me for stories. This is the story of my most extreme RV driving experience.

Yoho National Park is right next to Banff and Jasper but on the British Columbia side of the continental divide. We started our visit at the National Park visitor center. I always like to stop at the visitor centers first to get some maps and talk to the rangers. We want to make the most of our limited time, and they are usually helpful.

The ranger we spoke with told us that we should visit Takakkaw Falls. I’m a sucker for waterfalls, so asked how to get there, mentioning that we were driving an RV. He said, “No problem, but heads-up, you’ll have to drive up the mountain switchbacks backward because the hairpin turns are too tight for you. But go, have fun. It’ll be a blast.” I’m paraphrasing, but I’m pretty sure it went something like that.

How to drive an RV like a Canadian

So, we headed out and before long we got a short glimpse of the sign depicted at the top of this article. At this point, I was extremely happy that the ranger gave me the heads-up on this because I have no idea how long it would have taken me to decipher this sign otherwise.

We executed the maneuver slowly and successfully. What’s missing from the sign is the narrow road and sheer drop-off that make it extra special. The kids enjoyed the view. I focused on driving.

After the maneuver, we made it to the beautiful waterfall, enjoyed our time, and then we had to go back, repeating the maneuver in reverse.

I remember this part vividly. Here I was, carefully backing my RV down the mountain when someone in a pickup truck got impatient and decided to pass me on my way down. It made me frustrated, but nothing bad happened. I do wish that people on vacation would be a little more patient and considerate, but that’s how it goes sometimes.

The leadership lesson

This story took place several years ago but just came to my mind this week. I think it’s a fair analogy for leading high-tech agility at an enterprise scale.

Leading enterprise technology is a tough job. On one hand, we need to be nimble and fast. We want to experience all the latest and greatest technologies. On the other hand, the road to get there is narrow, winding, and dangerous. Smaller organizations (cars and motorcycles) seem to have an easier time adopting the latest technologies. And here we are, captaining a massive RV that can’t make the hairpin turns. What should we do?

Some leaders give up completely or wait for the world to build us a wider road. Others get outside counsel and figure out a way to make it happen, even if it requires going backward at times.

How to lead

I lead my technology teams into the future like I drive my RV to a hard-to-reach waterfall. Yes, it’s hard. Yes, it’s stressful. But I knew it was coming because I asked for expert advice ahead of time. When I got to the hard part, I stayed calm, focused, and brought everyone along with me to the waterfall.

I am determined to drive my team to the hard-to-reach technology destinations. It will take us longer than some. Sure, small teams can take those hairpin turns without blinking. We need to be deliberate and careful.

The important thing is that we don’t need to wait. We don’t need to go without. We don’t need to settle for less. We will lead our enterprise teams to embrace the latest technologies. It will be an interesting journey with plenty of exciting stories to tell afterward. That’s how it’s done.

Podcast: Play in new window | Download