A couple of incidents in the last few days have caused me to reflect on how we work together as outdoor professionals in South Wales, particularly as we start to ramp-up into this year’s busy season. Those of you who know me will be aware that I came late in life to the world of professional outdoor activities – and to South Wales. I used to be an professional engineer, working in the hard-nosed world of defence procurement – and one of the things that has most struck me about the outdoors world in South Wales is how comparatively well we all get on with each other! Yes, we may be in competition – for work, for clients and for access to venues – but providers and instructors do generally try to work together in a spirit of ‘co-opetition’ to deliver in ways that benefit us all. This may be partly because we all know and respect each other as individuals, but perhaps it’s also because we see ourselves in others and appreciate that, when things go wrong. ‘but for the grace of God that could have been us!’
Last week I witnessed a group of young people caught out by a rising river, with their instructors looking somewhat out-of-their depth (thankfully not literally!). Word spread quickly and a host of instructors from other groups came to assist them across safely – without question and without judgement. They just offered their help. At some personal risk. Because that’s what we do. No-one felt the need to comment at the time, but everyone there learned lessons – about how to avoid similar situations in future; about what to do when something like that happens; and about the generosity of others when help is needed.
But today I was reminded of the axiom of ‘actor-observer bias’ – where we see our own slip-ups as short-lived mistakes or reactions to rough circumstances, but we judge someone else’s similar slip-ups as a clear indication of their “carelessness,” “impulsiveness,” or “failure to think things through” (I know I do! Make mistakes, that is. As well as tending to think of others’ mistakes as unequivocal evidence of their idiocy!!). I heard a complaint from an exasperated instructor about another provider who had “parked on the access lane, preventing us getting out when we needed to”, an exhortation that “they can’t do that – what if we’d had an emergency?!” and a demand that “someone should have a word!” So I gave the ‘other provider’ a call. Yes, they had parked on the access lane. But it was a genuine mistake, made for good reasons: they didn’t think anyone else was there; their vehicles wouldn’t have made it further down the lane; they were never far away; they’d moved when asked; and they’d be more careful in future. But here’s the thing: they then told me that the first instructor had been “b****y rude about it!” So that’s what made me think. And decide to pen some musings instead of a simple message asking providers not to park in silly places! Because we will all make mistakes from time to time; we will all do things that occasionally upset our fellow instructors. Not deliberately to annoy others, nor to put people in danger – but because it made sense to us at the time! It’s just what happens when many people try to do similar things at the same time in the same places. But how we react is what makes all the difference: not “what the heck do you think you’re doing!”, but “I can see why you’ve done that – but can you maybe see why it wasn’t such a good idea?”
Haven’t we got it tough enough already, without giving each other a hard time as well?! So let’s be kind to each other out there, give each other the benefit of the doubt, and help generously when needed (and yes, for those of you who’ve been on the wrong end of my displeasure, I am very much talking to myself here too!).
Stay safe, have fun and enjoy the sunshine,
Steve
Well said Steve