When to jump in

16/4/2021

'Look before you leap.' (John Heywood, 1546)

The wind grew cold as the sun set yesterday evening. Pete and I sat on a bench beside the river warming ourselves with bags of hot chips. Pete noticed a man nearby stepping onto railings and behaving oddly. I didn’t see him as he was behind me and then, apparently, the man walked away. Some minutes later, we heard a strange splash in the water. Now feeling concerned, we went quickly to investigate. Leaning over the railings and peering into the murky water below, we couldn’t see anything. We called out. No response. Called out again. Silence. Had it just been a swan?

Straining over the railings now, I saw what looked like a pair of training shoes just below the surface. ‘There’s someone in there’. Pete called the Police while I climbed over the railings to get a better view. There was a man below floating in the water. ‘Are you OK?’ No response. I could see he was breathing. Confused at what he was doing, I grabbed a life buoy ring and lowered it, by rope, down the vertical pier into the water beside him. ‘You’re OK, mate. Help is on its way. You can grab hold of the float if you need it.’ Still no response. He lay there, eyes closed and completely motionless.

Within moments, a Police officer ran up to us and immediately started shouting at the person in the water to get hold of the ring. His voice seemed to jolt a response and, for a moment, the man instinctively took a loose hold of it. ‘I can’t swim’, said the Police officer to us, quietly. I felt an instant dilemma. Do I jump in and risk 2 of us becoming trapped (or worse) in the cold water, or do I wait until further help arrives? I decided that, if the man turned over or started to sink, I would brace myself and leap in. I was surprised at my own hesitation. Was it fear, indifference…or a learned response?

Within minutes, more emergency service professionals arrived and the man’s life was saved. As I drove home, I reflected on what had happened. As a younger man, I would have dived straight into the water in rescue mode. Moreover, it would have felt like the right and courageous thing to do. What has changed? Through years of work in coaching and OD in humanitarian organisations, I have learned to pause, weigh up options and choose a response. To jump in is a judgement call with wider implications. When do you 'jump in' and when do you hold back? What drives your response?

22 Comments

Stella Goddard

16/4/2021 06:19:51 pm

How terrifying Nick for the person in the water and for you and others who helped.

I imagine there are some situations which we haven't experienced before where we have no idea how we will respond until we are facing that situation.

It's so good you did what you did.

Nick Wright

16/4/2021 06:32:50 pm

Thanks Stella. To be honest, I didn't feel terrified. I felt bemused, then confused, then concerned...then switched into practical decisions and actions mode. I wondered, on reflection, if I would have felt and responded differently if the person in the water was someone that I knew and cared about personally.

From what we could gather, it turned out the man had taken drugs and attempted suicide. His partner did turn up and leapt into the water beside him to hold his head above water. I asked this partner afterwards if he was OK. He said, 'I just hope he will be OK'. I responded, 'You just saved his life.'

Interestingly, I just started reading Deborah Rowland's 'Still Moving' (2017) book this morning, having attended a seminar on it yesterday. She comments: '...be aware of your choices and intention as to how to respond, which might mean seeing clearly beyond our first instincts and selecting a different response.'

Yes, we sometimes face situations where we have no idea in advance how we will respond, and we sometimes respond quite differently to how we had imagined. I hope I'm learning to create a breathing space between stimulus and response, no matter how brief, to choose a response...and I'm learning to pray more too!

16/4/2021 09:42:36 pm

You did a wonderful thing Nick. You made a difference when that man was at his most vulnerable.

16/4/2021 09:45:56 pm

Thank you, Stella. I think everyone played a part. I’m just pleased that Pete had noticed this man’s behaviour beforehand. Otherwise we probably wouldn’t have responded to the splash.

Rafe Ball

22/4/2021 04:08:20 pm

As an ex-RLSS Lifeguard and lifesaver trainer/examiner, you did exactly the right thing as a non-professional rescuer, Nick. You never put yourself in more danger than is absolutely necessary or that you can handle. Your safety comes first, and it's better to have one casualty than two. You made the casualty safe by giving him the buoyancy aid, and waited for professional help whilst being prepared to take additional (riskier) steps if the situation deteriorated. Thumbs up!

22/4/2021 04:15:26 pm

Hi Rafe - and thank you for such affirming feedback as an expert in this field! I remember seeing similar advice on a TV SOS documentary, particularly vis a vis the risks of getting pulled under by a desperate person in the water, or compounding the crisis by getting caught by the underlying river current etc. - and hence placing more emergency service people at risk in the subsequent rescue.

Cindy Frabotta Stulac

22/4/2021 07:29:04 pm

Nick, there is so much wrapped up in your story! For me, it's a reminder that sometimes the best way we can help others is to create the environment for them to solve their own problems or have other experts help. I've seen too many people want to help so badly they're not intentional about who is the best person to help and don't unravel the dynamics at play and implications, which lends itself to dealing with only the surface instead of the root cause.

22/4/2021 10:29:40 pm

Thank you, Cindy, for such interesting reflections. I liked your comment, 'sometimes the best way we can help others is to create the environment for them to solve their own problems or have other experts help.' The former has some resonances with this short piece: https://www.nick-wright.com/blog/just-enough

Pamela Denise Long

22/4/2021 10:17:31 pm

Thanks for this Nick. My work focuses primarily on implementing trauma informed care and racial equity (by way of anti-racism). I'm three years into my "formal" OD career and paradigms. This affords me a lot of creativity for what action looks like. Over time, "jumping in" for my implementation consulting has looked different, but remains pretty proactive. The questions I pose, my willingness to at least state that I recommend we come back to an incident/statement/concern, an emphasis on posing questions about meaning and connection to mission//vision, asking systems-thinking type questions about how actions at one point will affect other stakeholders/functional areas. Sometimes, it seems people swimming in the water of the system don't need a savior as much as a guide to remind them of where they are, what they have, and what they want to become.

22/4/2021 10:38:25 pm

Thank you, Pamela. Interestingly, I was doing some work on change and transitions leadership last week for a client who specialises in trauma-informed practice. Your reflections on 'jumping in' sound like a willingness to intervene, to engage, to get involved. Have I understood you correctly? I found your metaphor of 'people swimming in the water of the system' very evocative, along with your sense of what such people may need. It reminded me of a similar metaphor used by Mark Sutherland in this short piece: https://www.nick-wright.com/blog/learning-to-wonder

23/4/2021 09:05:11 am

It's THE metaphor for organizational systems and the invisibility of tactic culture versus written policy. I chose that metaphor because of your mention of swimming/sinking/drowning and jumping in.

23/4/2021 09:08:00 am

Thanks Pamela. It’s certainly a metaphor that resonates well with the narrative in the blog. :) Incidentally, are you familiar with Gareth Morgan’s ‘Images of Organisation’?

Dr Eugene Fernandez

23/4/2021 09:01:22 am

I liked the way you were able to look at different perspectives in situ and the reflexive insights.

23/4/2021 09:02:30 am

Thank you, Eugene!

Dr. Elaine Rose

23/4/2021 05:53:37 pm

Nick, I'm thinking that one of the main things to consider would be "is it the right thing to do"? Other questions to ask would be 1. is it helpful 2. would others benefit?

23/4/2021 10:33:38 pm

Thanks Elaine. Yes, I guess, 'Is it the right thing to do?' begs so many other questions. In my coaching, training and OD practice, I tend to hold the question in mind: 'What would be most facilitative for this client in this situation at this time?' That's not always easy to answer either!

Bob Dick

24/4/2021 08:50:43 am

Thanks, Nick. I not sure I know how I'd act in the situation you describe. I'd think I'd find the ambiguity an obstacle to quick action.

In the early stages of an action learning team I mostly feel at home. I ask myself which will create the most space for others. Jump in, to show that it's safe? Or hold back because others already seem willing to try?

Either way, my aim usually is to help the team become self-sufficient.

24/4/2021 10:22:47 am

Thank you, Bob. Yes, the ambiguity of the situation meant that my initial focus was on trying to make sense of what was going on before leaping into action. Was he wild swimming? Had he fallen in by accident? Was it an attempted suicide? Was he conscious? Did he want or even need 'help'?

I like the the approach you described. It sounds like you adapt what you do in response to the stage of the intervention and the dynamics in/needs of the group. Clarity of aim and intention, e.g. 'to help the team become self-sufficient', strikes me as of fundamental importance too.

25/4/2021 01:00:44 am

For my own understanding, I’ve found Gary Klein’s work on “naturalistic decision making” helpful.

He researches people (like battle commanders) making decisions in turbulent and high risk situations. They seize on the first analysis that seems to make sense. But then, before action, they run it through in their mind to check its adequacy.

That makes the most of our unconscious mind’s ability. And then it uses the more expensive conscious mind not to rationalise, but to challenge, the unconscious mind’s hunches.

25/4/2021 01:07:00 am

Thank you, Bob. That sounds interesting too. There are some resonances in what you described from Klein's approach with a couple of other short pieces I posted recently. I'd be interested to hear what you think?

*Adaptive: https://www.nick-wright.com/blog/tactical-adaptive-leadership
*Tailspin: https://www.nick-wright.com/blog/tailspin

25/4/2021 09:37:38 am

Hello again, Nick. The links you provided show that I've had a much tamer life than you. I've not been in the line of fire, except metaphorically. Usually I've had the opportunity to look for common ground. I've enjoyed the luxury of mostly avoiding adversarial situations.

There *is* some common ground with the OODA loop (mentioned in the responses to one your pieces). Most situations contain complex elements. They respond better to intelligent and flexible trial and error than to detailed planning. Action learning / action research provide me with processes that support trial and error.

Both use a loop that resembles the "observe, orient, decide, act" of OODA. In both, critical reflection alternates with action ... Develop an intent. Take a step. Notice and understand what results. Use that understanding to choose a next step.

Those loops, those cycles, can be nested. They can operate over many different scales -- from moment by moment up to year by year or beyond.

You can probably guess, then, that your approach and mine (despite some differences) share much in common. I enjoyed reading your pieces.

25/4/2021 11:05:59 am

Thank you, Bob. I like the simplicity and clarity of your approach: 'Develop an intent. Take a step. Notice and understand what results. Use that understanding to choose a next step.' There are resonances with David Kolb's learning cycle. We could, too, start with an action then see what sense we make of what happens as a result.

On the action learning theme explicitly, I've written a couple of other short pieces (below) that may be of interest. Please don't feel any pressure to read them. It's an invitation, not an expectation. I would love to hear more about your own experiences in action learning/action research too.

*Learning in action: https://www.nick-wright.com/learning-in-action.html
*Action learning: https://www.nick-wright.com/blog/action-learning

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