Lessons from a Sailor

I was recently lucky enough to go on a 10 hour sailing trip with my friend Mike.  Being out at sea is the perfect time to reflect on life and the experience. What struck me was that sailing a boat and running an organization required similar leadership qualities.  

My friend Mike does both. His day job is leading one of Canada’s most revered healthcare organizations. His hobby is sailing. Seeing him in action on the boat highlighted three vital leadership qualities that all leaders should demonstrate, whether in a boardroom or on a boat. So what are they?

1) The ability to listen. A true leader doesn’t need to hear himself (or herself) talk. They realize that one gains knowledge and insight by actively listening to those around them. It is incredible how many ideas and how much information and feedback you can absorb by just simply tuning in.

2) An interest in life-long learning. Whether it’s learning how to build a kayak from scratch, like Mike recently did, or learning to speak a new language, the thirst for new knowledge is a sign of a true leader. The best leaders that I know are all on a never-ending journey to understand more about the world around them and add new skills to their repertoire.

3) Being prepared. The ability to effectively assess a situation, prepare for it and execute on it seamlessly is an art and can be a challenging skill to develop. We could have easily over or under packed for our adventure. But Mike’s experience and expertise ensured we were a lean, mean sailing machine. It’s easy to get bogged down with the small details of daily operation so it’s important for an organization to have a leader who knows the destination and what is required to get there.

I hope my time out at sea can help those looking to transition into leadership roles in their organizations or help companies looking for ways to recognize the signs of a future leader.