Hi, Sean - interesting post.

Now I want to read your book to get the whole story (not that you were angling for that:).

The metaphor of engaging in an intense outdoor experience as a lens to view our business relationships is a good strategy and based on your post, you use it well.  I was particularly intrigued by two points you made:

1)  Rapport and Relationships:   You mention that this is an area of struggle for many leaders and I agree.  I wonder whether we have done enough work in support of the model of servant leadership, which seems to nicely coincide with the idea of knowing your colleagues on a more personal level, rather than just at the business level.

While some may see getting to know each other at work as a personal and optional activity, my experiences support your point:  Knowing people as individuals pays benefits.

2)  Expectations and Encouragement:  Your comment about organizations using personality assessment caught my attention quickly ... a subject near and dear to me.  I believe strongly in the use of assessments, but not as much just to identify an individual's strengths and fit, but also to help everyone first understand each other's preferences (using DiSC language here) within their work group and organization, but also to create a culture where flexing in response to other's needs is valued.

For example, it is good to know that a particular person has strengths in providing clarity and organization (a high C in DiSC world) when their organizational role calls for those attributes, but it is also important to help that person flex and become more action-oriented and able to concisely report, rather than report in detail, when the situation or co-workers or the boss expects those qualities.

Just thinking out loud ... enjoyed your post and I am looking forward to reading the book, even though I am NO shooter of rapids:)

John