Windsurfing Into Leadership: Why Struggle Isn’t Strength, and Flow Is

I didn’t start windsurfing because I loved the sport. I started because I hated the idea of watching life from the sidelines. 

At 40, I found myself standing on a beach, watching others glide across the water like they were made for it. And I had to ask myself: do I want to sit and watch, or do I want to learn to move with the wind?

I chose to move.

That decision changed the way I show up, not just on a board, but in business, in leadership, and in life.

The Struggle Myth

My early windsurfing days weren’t glamorous. I waited for the wind to calm before even stepping in. Everyone else - the pros - were already out there chasing the wind. I was chasing courage.

I remember the day clearly: soaked, frustrated, dragging my gear out of the water. A seasoned windsurfer asked me how it went. I said, "I struggled."

He paused and smiled, "If you’re struggling, you’re not doing something right."

That hit me harder than any wave ever could.

Because I had believed struggle was a sign of effort. Of commitment. Of worth.

But what if it wasn’t?

What if struggle is just a signal that something in our approach needs to change, not intensify?

Force vs Flow

Windsurfing taught me one of the most important lessons in leadership: You can’t overpower the wind. You can’t grip harder and expect to glide.

And yet, that’s how many of us lead. We hold tighter. We push harder. We think more force will equal better outcomes.

But real leadership, just like real movement on the water, happens in the opposite direction.

It's not about domination. It's about attunement. It's about building a system that can handle complexity, without becoming rigid.

Control is a Lie

We chase control like it’s the secret to success. But in reality, the best leaders I know aren’t trying to control everything. They’re building teams, systems, and strategies that can adapt to anything.

That means aligning, not wrestling, with five core forces:

• Yourself – your mindset, fears, blind spots: In windsurfing, if your body is tense or your focus scattered, you're going to fall. It's the same in leadership. Your internal state shapes your external performance. You are the base of everything.
• The Market – unpredictable and always shifting: The wind is never the same. It shifts, gusts, dies down without warning. You don’t control it, you read it. In business, the market is your wind. Success comes not from resisting it, but from reading it well and responding with agility.
• Your Model – the foundation you stand on: Your board in windsurfing is your platform. Too small, too big, too stiff, it changes how you move. Your business model is the same. It must support your weight, your goals, and your environment.
• Your Strategy – the sail you set to catch momentum: The sail doesn’t create wind, it captures it. Strategy doesn’t create market conditions, it uses them. And just like trimming your sail for speed, leaders must adjust their approach to catch and ride momentum.
• Your Ecosystem – the people, the pressure, the chaos around you: Out on the water, it’s not just you. It’s other riders, waves, weather. In business, it’s clients, competitors, crises. Your ecosystem is dynamic and interdependent. You don't control it, but your awareness of it determines whether you crash or ride.

You don’t need to control any of these forces. You need to understand them. Align with them. Move with them.

Let Go to Level Up

Every time I gripped the sail tighter, I lost control. Every time I loosened up, trusted the wind, trusted my feet, trusted the process, I found rhythm.

Leadership is no different.

The best decisions I’ve made didn’t come from overthinking or brute strength. They came when I was calm, present, aware. When I let go of the need to be perfect and started paying attention to what the moment needed from me.

That’s when leadership gets interesting.

The Inner Game

Windsurfing didn’t just test my muscles. It tested my mind.

“Is this even for me?” “Am I too old to start?” “What if I fail in front of everyone?”

Those questions weren’t about windsurfing. They were about identity, ego, and fear. They were about all the things we hide under our titles, roles, and LinkedIn bios.

If you’re leading a business, you’re not just solving external problems. You’re navigating internal ones too. Fear of judgment. Fear of letting go. Fear of not being enough.

The sooner we learn to see those fears, not ignore them, the more powerful and authentic our leadership becomes.

Find Your Shared Wind

People think windsurfing is a solo sport. In our family, it’s not.

It’s how we connect. We plan together. Wait for wind together. Celebrate wipeouts and breakthroughs together. We’re different people with different roles, but we’re pulled by the same invisible force.

In leadership, you need the same thing: a shared wind.

A mission that pulls your team forward, even when things are messy. A rhythm you come back to, even when the waves get rough.

Every great team has an “our thing.” A shared why. A place, literal or metaphorical, where they feel in sync.

For us, it’s the “Secret Spot.”

For your team, it might be something else.

But if you don’t have it, build it.

Leadership Isn’t a Fight. It’s a Dance.

You can’t win against the wind. But you can learn to move with it.

And when you do, when it all aligns for just a few seconds, it feels effortless. You’re not thinking about performance or pressure. You’re just present.

That’s what leadership at its best looks like. Present. Attuned. In motion.

Sometimes the greatest teacher isn’t the market, a mentor, or a book.

Sometimes it’s the wind.

Marjana Laibacher Rogelj, Coachee of Life:)

Vertical Development and Systemic Team Coaching Practitioner