More on team work...

Some of the best comments I have gotten in my entire life as a sailor (I started sailing when I was about 6 I think...) - and they come from one the best mentors I have had. It is reusing the idea of a 'crew boss' to help manage what goes on inside the boat so the driver can focus on driving and the tactician can focus on tactics (eg. what's happening OUTSIDE the boat)

"Do I believe that a team can win and have fun at the same time?  At OUR level of competition, I certainly do.  In fact, I think the fun aspect is vital in crew retention; and maintaining a consistent crew with common objectives is absolutely crucial to boat handling performance which is critical to winning in your fleet.

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That means that crew selection is really important.  As skipper, it’s up to you (with input from your crew boss) to select the crew that you feel will most likely help you to meet your season objectives.

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I’d rather race and suffer with people that I like than win and suffer with people that irritate the hell out of me. We can ALWAYS practice and build skills.

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Certainly in the pro ranks where the crew is making 6 figures, it’s expected that you’ll win while getting screamed at, and get fired if you don’t win.  We’re not paying people though, beyond lunch and beer, so our methods have to be …different, and keeping it fun is paramount (IMHO) to keeping people coming back."

* just a quick personal comment in passing - there is wine on Elise... We're not giving up on that *

And for why it is important for everyone to focus (and in particular me because I am very good at backseat driving...) - Strangely enough, I was recently at a tech talk held by a partner at Sequoia Capital - and that is also a piece of advice that I had applied at work: the most successful companies and people are the most focused ones - just do your job, focus on doing it extremely well and trust that everyone around you will do the same.

When I drive: "EVERYONE, and I mean EVERYONE is relying upon you to drive straight, drive fast, and keep the boat on her feet ALL OF THE TIME.  [...] The focus required to do your job correctly is absolute; and you can’t dilute your effort with distractions. [...] It’s the BOAT’s team, and that includes everyone from the bow to the driver.  You set the example for everyone else by focusing on your job, and relying upon the rest of the team to do theirs."

I also love something in that statement in that it is the BOAT's team - people talk about the skipper and the crew. We are all the boat's crew. There are roles on the boat, it is not a democracy even though it is mainly for safety reasons - a lot of decisions need to happen fast and you can't debate for hours. Calls have to be made (the ultimate safety calls will always be made by the skipper, regardless of what the tactician says as the skipper is responsible for the safety of everyone on the boat) and people have jobs and responsibilities. Having said that, we are a team and I guess that there is a ton of research that shows that collaborative team work yields better results than non collaborative team work :)