Want to hear about a shortcut to building a high-performance team?
Put them on a sailing boat and let them compete in a race. ⛵
That's what I did this weekend, sailing the Legionari regatta – with a team that had never really met each other before and did not even speak the same language. So how did we achieve to come in on 2nd place?
#highperformanceteams and racing crews share a few common threads:
1️⃣ The need for specialized roles to achieve success.
In sailing, it's the helmsman (steering the course towards a shared #purpose), tactician (strategist with a #vision), trimmers (collaborators for maximum boat speed), and bowmen (#problemsolvers getting the hard work done) working in sync. Add in a strong crew on board to monitor and report on performance against KPIs (boat speed), for balance (weight trim), strong communication to #motivate each other.
Just like a winning sailing team, business teams thrive when each member embraces their unique role, be it leadership, strategy, collaboration, problem-solving, or communication. It’s about working in harmony towards a shared vision, trusting each other implicitly to execute their roles with #excellence 🤝
2️⃣ The sailing crew has only one #focus: the race. You can't be 50% on a sailboat, it is all or nothing. No other projects or distractions, just riding the waves together. 🌊
In sailing, it's about racing to the finish line, about determination and a strong will to win. In business, it's committing to and achieving #sharedgoals 🏁
3️⃣ Last but not least, sailing teams just have so much #fun at what they are doing. They have a knack for #celebrating #success that is outstanding.
Recognizing and applauding achievements fuels motivation and strengthens team bonds.
The party after the race at the Legionari for sure did that job very nicely 🥂
#Teamwork #Leadership #HighPerformance #Trust #SharedVision #CelebrateSuccess