Team Sailing for Leaders

Team Sailing provides an ideal environment in which to learn leadership skills. Leadership in today’s work environment is complex and all of the responsibilities necessary to directing a team can no longer reside with only one person. Leadership has many roles and each one has value. In high performing teams, all members must hold each other accountable for his or her assigned or assumed roles.

A sailboat mirrors these conditions. It is a complex environment with many tasks and influences occurring at the same time. Every role is important—each has value to the success of the sailing team team. And, each member must continually report their actions as well as review the actions of other—all are responsible for holding each other accountable.

Selecting the Appropriate Leadership Model

Leadership models tend to be grouped into three distinct yet overlapping categories:

• Situational/Group Development Models
• Values/Principle Based Models
• Executive/Organizational Models

The existing culture of the organization provides the base for this customized experientially based program. Some organizations have selected a specific leadership model and our team of facilitators will help integrate concepts from the chosen model into the sailing program. For other groups, our comprehensive assessment tool can help identify the needs and interests of the leadership team. From the collected data, an agreement can be reached concerning the type of model that is most appropriate for the circumstance and the program tailored to the situation.

The Program

For groups that have a thorough knowledge of the selected model and are looking for a review or tune up, this program can be accomplished in a single day. For groups that need more information about the model, additional classroom time will be needed to introduce the concepts. From the experiential learning model, we know that success in applying this new knowledge is dependent on practicing in a supportive environment that will carry over to the workplace.

The program is simple yet time tested: teach skills that have value to the participant, give them an opportunity to practice them in a challenging yet success oriented environment, and them connect the learning to the work place. The sail boat milieu can be designed to resemble the office so that leadership skills can be practiced in an environment similar to the application. After all, bridging the gap from theory to practice is the goal of all training.