Back in July, I took my family on a camping trip in Hawaii. We flew to Honolulu and rented a pair of campervans for our family of six. We had been on the ground for less than an hour when our phones collectively went off with an emergency notice regarding an incoming tsunami caused by a 8.8 magnitude earthquake off the east coast of Russia.

A local was giving us an orientation on one of the two campervans at the time. He said not to worry. These alerts happen from time to time.

My son and I jumped in an Uber to go get the second campervan, when I got a call from the other company. The man said, “Hey, I live on the coast and need to get my family and animals to safety. I left the keys in the campervan. Good luck. Have fun.”

Around that point, the emergency alerts became more frequent and severe. The state of Hawaii issued a mandatory evacuation of the coast. The Governor of Hawaii went on the news and said, “This is not a regular wave. It will actually kill you if you get hit by a tsunami.”

We were just a few hours into our vacation. Wow. Welcome to Hawaii.

Fortunately, I booked a Hipcamp campground for us to stay that night that was 600ft in elevation above sea-level. We got our supplies and headed inland, along with the other 1 million inhabitants of Oahu.

The traffic was nuts on an apocalyptic level. What should’ve taken 20 minutes took many hours, but we eventually got there.

I knew my family would be safe, and that gave me peace of mind. However, I still had no idea what devastation this would bring. Would there be anything left of the Hawaii we dreamed of exploring?

After a lousy first night of sleep in the hippie campervan, I awoke way too early due to the 5 hour time zone change from Central Time. I read the news. Nothing really happened. I think the waves were about 4 feet higher than normal, which didn’t cause any meaningful damage. That was fantastic news. Later that day, we drove around, surfed the beaches, and took in everything the hospitable Hawaiian culture had to offer.

This story is actually the final chapter of a larger story that we’ve been writing for some time now. Ten years ago, my wife, Wendy, and I had a crazy idea. We had just bought an RV for the family. After we had a few trips under our belt, we pondered a big idea: What if we took our kids camping in all 50 states? We could do it, but we had to be aggressive. Time was ticking. It wouldn’t be long before our oldest was out of the house. We needed to make the most of the time we had.

One other noteworthy factor: We are a homeschool family. We believe our kids would learn more about the world if they could experience it firsthand. We visited our Congressman in Washington, DC. We threw tea into the Boston Harbor. We played hide and seek among the Redwoods of California. We rode airboats in the bayou of Louisiana. We caught our limit of halibut off the coast of Alaska. We rode rented scooters down Lombard Street in San Francisco.

We met our goal, and sneaked in our final, 50^th state, just two weeks before my oldest son, Caleb, moved into college.

Our mission was completed. It was part vacation, part education, and most notably: family time together. Just like you, the days go fast for our family. But these camping trips to the 50 states, we will remember forever.

The tsunami evacuation on our final state, was actually par for the course. You can’t possibly take your family camping in all 50 states without a few bumps along the road. Not everything went according to plan. We got lost. We got frustrated with each other. We sustained some injuries. We blew more tires than I can count. We temporarily lost a kid on the rim of the Grand Canyon, and another one on the subway turnstiles in Boston. We got stuck in a snowstorm in Utah, in the summer. We had a really hard time finding a place to use the bathroom in New York City. Some may be surprised to find out that, yes, you can in fact go camping in New York City. There’s a campground right on the water, with a view of the Statue of Liberty.

The leadership lesson

We are integrated people. How we pursue our hobbies in our personal life closely resembles how we tackle complex tasks at work. How we lead our families closely relates to how we lead our employees at work.

I live a life driven by stretch goals with my family. We dream big, make plans, then make it happen. I didn’t do it alone. Wendy and I made the major decisions, while we let the kids influence some of our choices of activities and destinations.

I think long term and make decisions at work that positions my company for the future. I lead with values. I plot steps along the way to make sure our vision is realized. I involve other leaders and our employees as much as I can, so they are a part of the process, not just the recipients of my planning.

Reflection

When I got back from Hawaii, my family and friends asked me what my favorite part was. Of course, we did some cool things, but my favorite part was that first morning waking up in the hippie campervans, with the Hawaiian sunshine bursting through the palm trees, making breakfast together in a new state, as a family, for the 50^th time.

The views expressed here are my own. They have not been reviewed or approved by my employer.

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