On Team Leadership and Endurance: Keep All Hands “On Deck” While in the Eye of the Storm.
October 14, 2019 7:53 pm
Captain’s (B)log, October 14, 2019
On Teamwork and Endurance: Keep All Hands “On Deck” While in the Eye of the Storm.
Part 1 of a 3 part series this week on Team (Crew) Leadership
Having worked at Halden Group over the last 30 years, the crew and I have had to learn to steer our clients, as well as our own business, towards success in both smooth seas and rough storms. Like the sea, surges and storms are inevitable.
During my tenure, we’ve been privileged to work with some brilliant people who believe, as I do, that good teamwork and communication is the best way not just to survive, but to thrive amid the storm. We want to thank all of our clients and partners for the opportunities they have provided our company over the last three decades, and we look forward to many more years of continued mutual success. Cheers!
Having sailed for most of my life, I have found that a well-built business is very similar to a well-built boat as both require experienced leadership and a great crew.
Someone once said that “a good seaman weathers the storm he cannot avoid, and avoids the storm he cannot weather.” So with that in mind, I would like to share a few sailing tips for you this week to apply to your business the next time a storm approaches, as it inevitably will.
Stay on the boat
A well-built boat will withstand more punishment than its crew. In the 1979 Fastnet Sailing Race, 303 sailboats started, yet only 87 reached the finish line with numerous sailors giving up even before their boats did. Many of those seasoned sailors drowned after they abandoned their yachts due to a fierce storm that raked this infamous Admiral’s Cup offshore race.
After the storm had passed, most of the abandoned boats were recovered, still afloat, yet abandoned during the search for survivors.
Had these crews “stayed with their boat,” and not abandoned ship, they would still be alive and racing today.
Wisdom from the Wheelhouse? In the eye of the storm, stay on the boat! Fear and uncertainty may tempt you to jump ship, but it’s better to be tossed on a battered, yet floating boat than in an unpredictable, unforgiving sea. More on that point in the next posts. Until then…
From the deck of the S/V Tonic, I wish you Smooth Sailing!
