Don’t Capsize Your Career: Lessons from Sailing

Have you ever felt like you were falling short at work, even though you were putting in the effort?  Many leaders, just like me during my recent sailing course, face challenges that can derail their progress.  The key is to learn from them, build resilience, and come back stronger.
What a learning curve it has been!
This blog could have gone two ways. Either I would be reporting how I didn’t pass my Level 1 training for the Clipper sailing race, or I’d be sharing how I managed to pass it. I am glad to report that while I didn’t pass my first Level 1 training in May, I did succeed when I took it a second time in early July.

Starting a New Adventure

Who knew how wild this would be! I think I totally forgot that I would be training for a race. I got my money’s worth of learning that week. Paired with 7 men who had sailed before and another man who took to it easily, it was quite the experience. We made a good team. The skipper and two mates were great, and our second mate, Heather, had just won an all-women around the world sailing cup, Heather. BBC News.

Even though I was disappointed about not passing initially, it was well worth it to cement all these new terms (grinding, halyard, pulpit, foredeck) and understand the sequence of hoisting the mainsail, the staysail, and the yankee, as well as gybing, tacking, reefing, and dropping the mainsail. The first three days of weather were great, and we had a fantastic last day with winds that allowed us to tip on both sides, port and starboard. This would help prepare me for my “take two” Level 1 training.

One of my clients, promoted a year ago, did well setting his strategy and challenging his team to take on new challenges. However, he didn’t plan for a new peer with a different vision on a joint project. He had to rise to the occasion, negotiate, and seek alignment with leadership. It was a tense situation he managed well. Coupled with personal challenges, he had to revisit his values and priorities to avoid burnout.

Great new opportunities often bring challenges, and many aspects of life must be managed to navigate each step of the journey.


How to Strategically Manage the Pressure

“It’s barely perceptible, but he was pacing himself, deliberately spreading his energy out to maximize his performance over the whole distance. This is why the psychology and physiology of endurance are inextricably linked: any task lasting longer than a dozen or so seconds requires decisions, whether conscious or unconscious, on how hard to push and when…” Alex Hutchinson. Endure (p. 11). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.

“Tenacious” was the name of the Clipper sailing boat for my second attempt at Level 1 sailing. It became my word of the week. I was tenacious and I’m now moving to Level 2. It took more physical weight training, swimming, studying, and a lot of commitment. The last day of training was our skipper Guy’s birthday. He was a great skipper and trainer. On to the next! Guy Waites’ Accomplishments https://goldengloberace.com/skippers/guy-waites/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR0VOCotmivAsM2oHKXwbYX9sF_QB2w7OKPLr2Red5S3qfuzapl9l4MhFiQ_aem_cSM61oPhL03u9JsZz4d08Q
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A win isn’t a win until it’s a win and that is how I approached the week. Sustained energy spread over each day, early rising, clear positioning to learn all the skills needed, practice of knots, and review of sail sequences plus acing the written exam on the first take this time.

When my clients are working on getting their next promotion, they must address the gap between where they are and where they are going. Stretch assignments, building a stronger network, seeking mentors and sponsors, and having a plan are crucial. Once they get the promotion, it’s time to plan their first 90 days, revise career goals, identify first wins, and build alignment with key stakeholders.

Endurance

“A suitably versatile definition that I like, borrowing from researcher Samuele Marcora, is that endurance is “the struggle to continue against a mounting desire to stop.” That’s actually Marcora’s description of “effort” rather than endurance but it captures both the physical and mental aspects of endurance. What’s crucial is the need to override what your instincts are telling you to do (slow down, back off, give up), and the sense of elapsed time.” AlexHutchinson,. Endure (p. 10). HarperCollins. Kindle Edition.

I resonate with this definition because I know I can’t drop the ball between each clipper training. We get assessed on knowledge and safety both intellectually and in practice at every training. My new sailing colleague, Louis, had posted a weight training program for sailing. Weight Training for Sailing https://www.outsideonline.com/health/training-performance/how-train-sailor/ I reviewed it with my trainer Yassin at Anette K. https://www.annettek.fr. We modified it, and I committed to it three days a week throughout June, with a few swims in between. My strength and energy were much better the second time around. On level 2 we will be at sea for four to five days, learn to do watches and sailing at night. My goal is to up my game with more weight training and more swimming for two 5K swims that are coming up in late July (Anglet, France) and early August (Brissago, Italy). Nothing is won until it’s won. I am even contemplating adding a Leg for the 2025-2026 race after Level 2.

I see my clients get elated when they finalize big projects, achieve goals, or get promoted. I also see them dealing with pressure, challenges, and difficult stakeholders. Sustainability and endurance are crucial during long, sustained challenging times. Strategically planning how to tackle long and difficult projects and urgent timeline requires astute thinking on managing not only information, plans, and people but also mental and physical energies.
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If you are interested in thinking strategically about your career plans and working on your endurance in 2024, getting feedback through a 360, or creating a. career or leadership development plan, you can learn more about our services at our website at www.desormeauxconsutling.com www.desormeauxconsulting.com or contact me directly [email protected].