Podcast episode 017: leadership and teamwork in the face of danger (part 1) [31:48m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (3021)

Last week I attended the Planview User Conference in Austin, Texas which featured Pete Goss as the keynote speaker.  Pete is a world adventurer and author of the book, Close to the Wind.

More astronauts have circled the Earth than the number of people who have sailed single-handed non-stop around the world without assistance. The most recognized of Pete’s races was the 1996/7 Vendee Globe non-stop single-handed round the world yacht race in his Open 50 yacht Aqua Quorum.

Aqua Quorum was the first British boat to enter the Vendee and the only new yacht to complete the course in a year which sadly claimed the lives of two sailors, with only six of the sixteen starters finishing the race.  The race turned Pete into a national hero overnight for the dramatic rescue of fellow competitor Raphael Dinelli when winds of up to 80mph pounded Frenchman Dinelli’s sinking boat. After receiving the distress call, Pete sent what may have been his last fax to his wife to explain what he was about to do and immediately turned round to rescue the Frenchman. He battled for two days to reach the near-dead Dinelli, who was extremely lucky to survive 48 hours in a freezing life raft. Pete, who scuppered his own chances of winning the race in order to save Dinelli, was awarded the MBE by HM The Queen and the Legion d’Honneur by the French President for his actions.

In episode 017, we bring you part 1 of Pete Goss’ story on various leadership and teamwork principles that he learned from some of his most life-harrowing adventures.

Show Notes:

• Close to the Wind

• www.planview.com
• www.petegoss.com

Leadership and teamwork takeaways from Pete Goss’ presentation:

1. Good Leadership is all about challenging the norm. Good Management makes it more efficient.
2. All one should look for in a team is a team full of leaders.
3. You shouldn’t just take risks, but rather, you should embrace risks by properly preparing for them.
4. “Knowledge dispels fear.”
5. People often see successful teams as “lucky”, even if it required “18 hour days at 7 days a week” to be successful. Often times when you drill down into a successful team, what you will find is a group of people that is willing to create their own “luck” by putting their nose to the grindstone and having the courage to grab an opportunity when it comes past.
6. If at particular milestones you are off course by 10%, you can always identify that 10% and polish it to improve longterm performance. During your team’s journey there will be problems and mistakes, but those mistakes can also be seen as lessons.
7. Remember that the mistakes made on your team’s journey can turn into the cornerstones of later success.
8. Don’t cry over the mistakes, but rather celebrate in the lessons.
9. “All the dirty washing stays on board” – don’t air your differences with those outside of the team.
10. Trust takes time and needs to come from the top.  Trust can only come from example – but once it does, then people on your team will feel comfortable to share their mistakes.
11. “To win, you first have to finish.”
12. Success comes from a clear and well-planned vision. The clearer your vision, the less likely you are to become lost. You do have to recognize that things will change as you move forward, and you need to be able to be willing to adapt your vision. But, unless your vision is clear from the start, you have no reference to make that change.
13. “Anything new is difficult and anything that is difficult requires commitment.”
14. “Unless you personally are absolutely committed to something, you cannot expect others to be committed with you.”
15. Once you have lost control of a situation, all you can do is react. The key is to try not to lose control.
16. “As you keep chipping away at life, you eventually come to a very clear and simple crossroads where you stand by your morals or principles, or you don’t.”
17. If your values as a company, as a team, as an individual are not clear, then the whole team will fall apart.
18. “As the leader of a team, you are the custodian of the team’s values and you have a responsibility to articulate them.”
19. If you have a very big change, break it down into manageable chunks. Focus on those things that you can influence today, don’t get overwhelmed by things in the future. Plan for the difficulties that may lie ahead of you, but stay focused on those things you can influence now.
20. Often times courage, determination, and persistance can carry you far further than what logic might dictate.  Talk to any successful team and they will tell you about their darkest hour where they had to just “bind together” to overcome seemingly impossible odds.

Leave us a voice message at (206) 984-3665 and let us know some of the adventures your team has been on!

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