The Medium Imprints the Message

Recently, the Vice President of Sales for a large paper company came to Canadian Outback with a problem.

A recent merger with another large company had doubled the size of the sales department as the two sales forces were amalgamated into one space. The staff from each organization were unfamiliar with each other, came from different corporate cultures, were trained in different systems, served overlapping sales territories, and required integration of job seniorities. The potential for problems were obvious. The issues ahead would require effective leadership, communication and facilitation to manage the change without undue disruption to the organization, and the VP knew he needed to provide an inspirational message.

The first step in the solution was to provide a trust building and bonding experience so that the sales staff could get to know one another. They chose a whitewater rafting trip on the Elaho River near Whistler, BC. About half way down, after a turbulent stretch of river, 60 account representatives in wetsuits and helmets clambered from the rafts, paddles in hand, and assembled on the sandy beach of an island. Eagles soared overhead and a misty waterfall tumbled from a distant glacier. Downstream the river calmed.

On the banks of the Elaho River the Vice President, dressed in his wetsuit like everyone else, delivered a powerful speech about working together in an exciting new department, using the turbulent waters already navigated and the calm waters ahead as a workplace analogy. The staff was permanently impacted. Euphoric at the end of the day, they returned to work ready to accept change.

Afterwards the VP told me that he could have gathered the group in the boardroom for the speech, but he didn’t think it would have been quite as memorable. It’s hard to disagree. It was then that I realized just how important the medium for the message can be.

James Corbett

Canadian Outback