By Ka‘ipo Ho

I am attending Kapi‘olani Community College’s Ho‘okipa Me Ke Aloha Hawaiian cultural immersion program, and we recently completed a segment on the wa‘a, or Hawaiian canoe, that was both refreshing and a timely reinforcement of what the canoe symbolizes in Outrigger Enterprises’ culture.

First of all, Outrigger’s namesake is the original Outrigger Canoe Club founded in 1908 by Alexander Hume Ford to foster and promote water sports in Waikiki. The Outrigger Waikiki on the Beach has proudly occupied that site since 1967. The Outrigger Canoe Club and Outrigger Enterprises also share a very similar mission of promoting the cultures of the places where we do business.

Throughout our thirteen years of experience with Ke ‘Ano Wa‘a, The Outrigger Way, the canoe has taken on a more meaningful and symbolic representation for us. The most popular analogy we make with the canoe and Outrigger’s culture is the six-paddler outrigger canoe. Each person in the canoe has a specific responsibility. The first paddler is called the stroker and is the eyes of the canoe, as they keep watch at the front. This person is also referred to as the alaka‘i, or leader, and is responsible for setting the pace for the other paddlers to follow.

The second through the fifth paddlers are the primary strength that pulls the canoe across the water. The second person is usually responsible for calling out the changes to the rest of the team to switch sides paddling. The third and fourth paddlers, in the middle of the canoe, are the powerhouse and the strongest of the team. The fifth paddler takes on the extra role of supporting paddlers one through four when a weak moment occurs. The sixth paddler is the ho‘okele, or steersperson, and is the overall captain of the team and is responsible for keeping the canoe on course towards its destination. Additionally, the steersperson provides the team with necessary encouragement and reinforcement.

Each person in the canoe has a specific role, and each makes a valuable contribution to the collective efforts of the team to achieve its goal. If just one of the paddlers is out of sync, the entire team’s efficiency is impacted. By working together and in sync with one another, the canoe will actually lift and glide across the surface of the water.

At Outrigger, we are like that paddling team. Each of us has a specific role and makes a valuable contribution to the collective efforts of our company mission and business goals. Our Outrigger Executive team sits in the first seat and sets the overall pace and direction for our company. In the second seat, calling out the changes and keeping the team in rhythm with those business goals, are our senior managers. Our front line employees are the powerhouse of our company and the primary strength of our entire crew. The fifth seat is represented by our support services departments, such as Sales, Marketing, Human Resources, Information Technologies, Revenue Management, Finance and Accounting, and our Ke ‘Ano Wa‘a Alaka‘i. Seated in the ho‘okele, or steersperson position, are our company management teams, including our General Managers, Department Heads, Assistant Managers, and Line Supervisors.

Now, some might look at that arrangement and have a different opinion as to which group sits where in the canoe. That’s fine. After experiencing this past Employee of the Quarter celebration and hearing each hotel and Company Services nominee and honoree being introduced, I learned to appreciate that we actually sit in different seats of the canoe throughout the course of a typical workday. For example, our hourly employees represent the powerhouse of the canoe, yet when they go above and beyond the scope of their job responsibilities to personally ensure their guest’s satisfaction, they are also taking on a leadership role exemplified by the steersperson, they could be in the front seat setting the pace for the rest of their department team.

Teamwork is also essential to a paddling team. There’s a concept in the Hawaiian culture called laulima, which literally means many hands, or many hands working together. The principles behind this concept are very simple: 1) every job and everyone is important; 2) every job has its pride and dignity; 3) one person’s success and/or failure is everyone’s; 4) respecting and honoring what other people do brings respect and honor for what you do; and 5) helping others develop their skills and performance improves your own. (Adapted from Ola Hawai‘i, Applied Leadership)

At Outrigger, laulima is celebrated through our value of ‘Ohana (Family), we are family working together joyfully to attain our goals and aspirations. At Outrigger, ‘Ohana and laulima are not concepts, they are reality.

E kaupe aku no i ka hoe, a ko mai i ka hoe! Put forward the paddle and draw it back!