Written by Ruth Jang
TTC Head Routesetter 

 

“Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.” 
– Leo Tolstoy

Is effective collaboration an illusion? Or is it just elusive?

Routesetting demands a great deal of collaboration. Whether it means co-setting a route, building a round of boulders together, or forerunning skeletons as a team, collaboration happens at every corner in routesetting. Ironically, many routesetters would agree that it is also one of the most difficult aspects of setting. Considering how crucial yet challenging collaborative routesetting is, conversations regarding it are scarce. In this day and age of routesetting podcasts and YouTube videos, why aren’t we talking more about it?

One reason may be that it is difficult to describe what effective collaboration looks like. Collaboration is highly contextual – one dynamic that works well between three routesetters may not work when another is added to the same team. Another reason is, routesetters struggle to discern why one collaboration felt rewarding, while another did not. Because of its contextual and subtle nature, many say "You just have to get lucky." At the same time, some have gone as far as to call the concept of effective collaboration an illusion. But it isn't an illusion, it's simply elusive.

Foundations.

It would be easy to drop immediately into tips and tricks. But, the very nature of collaboration - how contextual and subtle it is - speaks to how it would be better approached by looking deeper into its foundations.

In Taekwondo, the first thing students learn is ja-sae, which is collectively defined as stance, approach, and perspective. Contrary to what beginners might tell themselves so they can “hurry up and get to the fun kicks,” learning the ja-sae well is important to unlocking the rest of Taekwondo. It’s the foundation on which all the other skills are built. In other words, it has a direct impact on skill acquisition, and one’s ability to master those skills down the road. 

The same can be applied to collaboration. One’s ja-sae determines the perspective through which all things collaborative are processed and conducted. There is little value in learning techniques like the “compliment sandwich method” if we aren’t aware of the perspective from which we are applying them. 

What then, are the foundations for collaborative routesetting? 

Collaboration necessitates authenticity.

Collaboration is when individuals work together to create or achieve something new. It is not when routesetters blindly agree to all of their head routesetters ideas, or when they “take turns” letting another routesetter have their way on a boulder. Collaboration should not be confused with conformation. The very definition of collaboration implies individuality.

By necessitating individuality, collaboration necessitates authenticity. It asks us to lean into what makes us, us, and others to do so. The more in touch we are with ourselves and our routesetting, the more effective we will be at bringing our unique setting and solutions to the table. It is the interplay of these authentically different perspectives that makes collaborative routesetting such a rewarding experience. 

However, being authentic is easier said than done. For one reason or another, setters may feel uncomfortable sharing their perspective in a collaborative space. Some bite their tongue in fear of adding more hours to an already taxing day of forerunning. Some lack confidence in their perspective. Some routesetters focus so much on their ideas that, in doing so, they leave little space for others and for true collaboration to happen.

When we share ideas we can genuinely get behind, we open ourselves up to the scrutiny of others. Sharing our individuality and being authentic, therefore, takes courage. Without these qualities, collaboration is null.

No matter how you look at it, collaboration necessitates others and it necessitates you. Collaboration requires both, and in doing so, realizes an inherent potential for conflict and criticism. 

Cultivate authenticity.

Collaborative routesetting, all in all, is a tough space. It’s unrealistic to expect it to feel comfortable and easy from the get-go. Rather, we ought to acknowledge its criteria and challenges and refine our approach accordingly. If authenticity is as foundational to collaboration as it seems, we ought to explore it further.

Self-discovery.

Cultivating authenticity begins with self-discovery. Afterall, if we didn’t understand ourselves, what could we be authentic about? There are aspects of self-discovery already commonly practiced in routesetting. Many take the time to grow awareness surrounding their climbing strengths, weaknesses, and preferences, and how these impact their routesetting. However, self-discovery entails so much more, as does authenticity in collaborative routesetting. 

All of us have motivations folded into our routesetting. Regardless of whether or not we are aware of them, they exist and influence how we collaborate. Building awareness regarding our motivations not only opens our eyes to why we have the strengths, weaknesses, and preferences we do, it highlights areas of potential conflict with others.

Think back to your most recent commercial set or event. Throughout it, where was your attention? What motivations could have been the undercurrent of these foci?

Perhaps you spent a lot of energy getting to know the new routesetter because you know how difficult it feels to fit into a new workplace. Maybe in fear of being viewed as incompetent, you dodged as many opportunities to forerun. Or instead, you set only in styles you were comfortable forerunning. Maybe your attention wasn’t towards anything routesetting; your wife called at the beginning of the competition setting week and told you your newborn daughter was sick.

We are vulnerable where we are motivated. Whether your motivations were empathy, curiosity, insecurity, or something else, they are tied to what we care about. Despite understanding the goal of a set or an event and having the intention of being a great collaborator, things can go awry if we are not aware of our motivations. When other routesetters and their vulnerabilities bump up against ours, our motivations easily push the bigger picture to the backseat.

Through self-discovery and reflection, not only do we cultivate authenticity for more effective collaboration, but we also soften the space. It opens our eyes to our biases and projections. My favorite book regarding better communication emphasizes how important it is to be in touch with ourselves first if we want to be a better communicator: "If we can't be honest with ourselves about what's going on, how can we hope to hear one another, much less find resolution to a difficult situation?"

Self-acceptance.

To cultivate authenticity, self-acceptance must go hand-in-hand with self-discovery. 

Sometimes we miss the mark. You might have uncovered your motivations and learned more about your sensitivities, but the reactivity remains. You pushed yourself and your routesetting to create something special, but the results don’t reflect your hard work. This is where self-acceptance comes in.

Self-acceptance can be likened to manually saving a Word document. Self-acceptance is not a one-and-done deal which you save at the very end of the process. Wherever you are in the process of writing, you save it. Even if it's a rough draft with incomplete sentences, you save the document as is in the present. Unfortunately, instead of accepting ourselves as we are currently, many of us delay self-acceptance, just like how we delay hitting save (and deeply regret it.)

 On the surface, withholding self-acceptance may seem like a natural after effect of being ambitious. However, refusing to accept ourselves only has negative consequences. By refusing to accept ourselves, not only do we diminish our part in achievements, but we also deny responsibility in our shortcomings. In other words, we refuse to accept our failures for what they are. Failure is the gateway to learning and growth only if we accept it as our own in the first place.

Ultimately, self-acceptance requires us to believe that we can change for the better and that we hold the power to do so. Whatever we discover, whatever we may be disappointed in within ourselves, whatever we may be proud of within ourselves - cultivating authenticity means we accept it all, and consider that our springboard.

Collaboration is curiosity.

After a difficult day of routesetting, we might ask ourselves: Is collaboration even worth it? If we can come up with decent sets on our own and it’s enough to keep the patrons satisfied, why don’t we just stick to that system? Why try to work with others at such an uncomfortable and intimate level and why put in the effort to get better at it? 

I’ve asked myself these questions again and again, looking for a definitive answer. One thing that’s become clear in this process is that I can’t help but want to collaborate. Despite co-setting mishaps and the occasional rough teamwork days that come by, my curiosity for routesetting always gets the better of me. This curiosity toward setting inevitably develops into a curiosity toward my collaborators. I find myself wondering: What makes their routesetting unique? How is their perspective different from mine? What are they trying to share through their routesetting?

Effective collaboration demands authenticity, courage, and so much more than what’s discussed here. However, these difficult-to-master foundations, and collaboration as a whole, won’t seem worth pursuing unless we are curious. Collaboration, ultimately, is an extension of curiosity. And curiosity isn’t an illusion. Neither is it elusive.

A framework for examining your motivations. 

Too often in routesetting we find ourselves walking away from a tough conversation not knowing what went wrong. Days or weeks go by, and although you and the other setter made amends, you never quite understand what went wrong and why you felt the way you did in those moments.

Although collaboration necessitates others and you, the only variable you are in control of is you. This step-by-step guide is to help you discover and accept yourself, your motivations, and your actions when reflecting on a day/event of routesetting. 

BEFORE routesetting, set aside 10 minutes to ask yourself: What am I preoccupied with? Be specific. Write it down, or type it down on your phone somewhere so that you can come back to it after the session or event. If you feel comfortable, share your reflections with a trusted routesetter on the team to help ground your thoughts and gain another perspective. Some example answers:

a.  I’m excited to work with [blank] for the first time. But I’m also feeling pretty nervous because this is my first bouldering setting event. What if I look like I don’t know what I’m doing? I really don’t want to seem like I’m out of my depth.

b.  I'm feeling stressed, mostly because I got injured climbing outside last weekend. It's minor, but it's messing with my focus. What if setting this week makes it worse? What if it doesn't heal quickly and turns into something like my last injury, where I had to take time off work?

c.  This event is going to be sick! I’m setting with people I really enjoy being around. I’m not nervous or stressed - just looking forward to having a good time hanging out and working with everyone.

AFTER routesetting, set aside 30 minutes to self-reflect. Use the following questions to guide your thinking.

Start by revisiting your response to “What am I preoccupied with?” Try to summarize it in terms of motivations.

a.  Start by revisiting your response to “What am I preoccupied with?” Try to summarize it in terms of motivations.

i.  (Example 3 continued) I was motivated to spend quality time with people I care about.

b. If there were moments of conflict with your team, consider how your motivations may have conflicted with the following:

i.  The overall goal of the routesetting 
Your desire to hang out may have led to maximizing downtime (like playing disc golf) and rushing through forerunning.

ii.  The motivations of others 
Category chiefs may have prioritized refining the round and weren’t ready to step away for non-setting time.

c.  Looking back, do you notice any projections or assumptions that influenced your reaction?

i.  I felt frustrated that they worked really slowly, but honestly it was probably just me rushing and being impatient.

d.  Now that you’ve had time to reflect, is there anything you would’ve done differently?

i.  I could have helped reduce the forerunning workload during changeover if I hadn’t rushed the process earlier in the week trying to get out early. It would have also meant that the other category chiefs didn’t feel as rushed because of me.

FINALLY, keep track of these answers and observations. Look back once in a while to see if these motivations show up across multiple events or situations. Are there recurring patterns, like always feeling insecure about your contributions or rushing through tasks to "get it done?” These patterns may point towards something deeper and more important for you to understand about yourself and your routesetting. 

Photo by Caleb Timmerman