Recently I wrote about the lessons from my recent mountain biking expedition to Moab in Utah. Week two of my trip was travelling the entire length (around 400km) of the Grand Canyon on the Colorado River in a whitewater raft. Apart from hanging on, and making sure you always peed downriver (!), what else did I learn that might be useful?

Whitewater rafting tip: The easy ride is in the rear of the boat, but it's nowhere near as much fun as being upfront. Yes, you could sit in the back and not get wet, but the ones in the front were the ones with the big smiles on their faces at day's end. BD tip: If you want to enjoy your professional career, enjoy the BD part too. It is fundamental to your long term success, so don't 'grin and bear it' - make it a fun part of the day, week and month.
Whitewater rafting tip: Respect the river. There's rocks, there's extremely cold water, there's rapids. Keep your wits about you. BD tip: Know that your competitors are doing their best to keep their clients and/or win yours. You have to be BETTER at something than they are to win and keep your business. Make sure you have a good pipeline, have a good value proposition and have your boat on the water at all times (i.e., are regularly looking for new work).
Whitewater rafting tip: Setting up camp is fun if you do it as a group. The nightly camp set up was accomplished in no time with zip-lines and all riders present. The BBQ was hot and beer was cold very quickly if everyone helped. BD tip: You win business more quickly if you work with others - colleagues, referrers, junior staffers, BD professionals. Get a team around you and the heavy lifting doesn't seem so heavy.
Whitewater rafting tip: Take time to enjoy the view. In between rapids, occasionally we'd have an hour of just floating down the river. It was time to take photos and enjoy the Grand Canyon. BD tip: When you submit a major proposal, go out with the team BEFORE the result comes in. Have that dinner/beer/lunch a few days after the paperwork goes in. Celebrate the journey, not just the destination.

Thanks for reading. I really do appreciate the fact that you have lots of things to attend to, and if you've read this far, I hope it has been worthwhile. I don't take that for granted.

Paul McAllister gets a kick out of helping people to practically improve their business development with a specific focus on professionals. He's also a very average mountain biker and is able to float for long distances...