I have rafted, canoed, or kayaked in 20 states and four other countries. One of my favorite trips was down the New River, which I floated 12 times. Two times were with employees of The Bureau of the Public Debt. On my second time with this group, I admonished a rafter who was sitting nearby to paddle hard during our first rapid. With paddling motions, she would keep the bulk of her body mass inside the raft. Instead, she turned toward the center of the raft, which had the opposite effect. As a result, she was tossed from the raft into the river and then quickly retrieved. She was so scared that she exclaimed, "I want to go home, now!" Of course, she was in it for the duration of the trip.

One other time, I went with my two brothers on a cold, overcast day in May. I wished I had a wet suit more than once that day. On this trip while traversing a rapid called Bloody Nose, the female guide was trying to help a passenger who was in danger of going overboard when the guide let go of her paddle's handle. In the midst of the rapid's gurgitation, the loose paddle bounced off the guide's nose creating a sudden flow of blood.

Nine other trips down the New River were with several dozen freshmen in the McDonough Leadership Program from Marietta College. On one of these trips, a rafter who was not with our group was floating Swimmer's Rapid when she was sucked down and bounced off a rock. Her tailbone was bruised and the guides sent her back to base camp by railcar. Fortunately, no students were ever hurt during these trips.

When my daughter was a freshman at Marietta College, I accompanied her on a New River trip. It rained all day and the river rose 8 feet while we were on it. The water was so high most of the rapids were covered and it was the fastest trip down the New River I had ever experienced.

The New River is rated as the seventh best raft trip in the world. Every time I went down, it was a different experience. The water was different, the people with me were different, and I learned something different. My experience with this river and others helped me anticipate and predict what might happen but surprises still occurred.

Many people use rafting as an illustration of leadership and teamwork and I think it is an apt analogy. When I first started work at Marietta College, they used rubber ducky (inflated kayaks) on the Youghiogheny River for their teambuilding experience. These vehicles only held one person. I recommended the New River in 10-person rafts as a more relevant trip.

On the river, the guide, who is the leader, teaches his/her crew and directs them for top performance and safety. However, even the best leaders encounter unexpected obstacles. The most effective leaders train for extreme outcomes and use their experience to survive novel events with their followers. Work life, like a raft trip, is full of surprises. It takes the whole team to make a success out of a difficult situation.

R. Glenn Ray, Ph.D., is the president of RayCom Learning. He can be reached at 1-888-574-5370 or at rayray@RayComLearning.com. Everyday Leadership appears each Wednesday on the Business page.