Connect, don’t compete. After a weekend of incredibly competitive sailing in my growth zone, totally “playing up” with and against some amazing sailors, legends and legends in the making, my takeaway is connect, don’t compete.

An obvious goal for a weekend like this is to do as well as you can and to win as much as possible. And clearly, to do that, you are going to compete as hard as you can on the water. However, the more strategic goals for me are:

• How can I become a better sailor?
• How can I grow as a person?
• How can I advance my team and my club?
• How can I improve the sport?

And the key to all of those is “connect, don’t compete.”

The best illustration of “connect, don’t compete” came from the celebration of the 25th anniversary of this regatta, the Hinman Masters. The crux of the celebration was a dynamic presentation given by two commodores who were instrumental in creating the regatta and bringing adult team racing to the national stage. Even in their presentation, they were collaborative and complimentary. These two competitive sailors rose above personal sailing goals to make huge contributions to their club and the sport by collaborating and creating a national movement.

And so, while I was competing like crazy during races, I was as energized connecting in between races and off the water. I had amazing conversations about team racing tactics, personal communication, neurodiversity, fashion (both feminine frills and unisex tights), bruises, leadership, maritime history, naval architecture, living with purpose, the benefits of remote work, organizational development and more, coupled with lots of laughs.

So grateful to spend more time with existing connections and to make some new ones. And through that, to make progress on all my goals. Huge thanks to all my connections – here’s to winning, on and off the water!