Thoughts about Complexity and Surfing

My brother-in-law tried surfing and wind-surfing for the first time yesterday and it got me thinking about complexity and a few similarities became apparent to me.

Managing complex projects is a bit like surfing. You need to position yourself right and paddle like crazy to catch a great ride. It takes time to watch and try before you understand the patterns of the surf, but the result is a thrilling ride and lot of distance covered with very little effort. I am always amused by the elite swimmers of the business world who claim it was their paddling alone that was responsible for the wave in the first place.