This past Monday, I got out on the water for team racing again. Despite our current hot humid weather that is smothering even this native Annapolitan, we had great breeze, and it was a fun night to sail. And it was the best place to be outside!

Team racing is a really fast-paced strategic event – it’s like speed chess on the water. We were racing 2 boats on our team versus 2 boats on the other team. The races are short – maybe 10 minutes, and you are constantly doing multiple things:

1. trimming your sails to maximize speed,
2. looking around at whatever the other boats are doing – your teammate and the other team,
3. looking for puffs and shifts on the wind,
4. keeping track of where the next rounding mark is,
5. thinking ahead to your next strategic move,
6. communicating inside your boat,
7. communicating with the other boat on your team, and
8. maneuvering the boat to keep your team out of 4^th place!

It is exhilarating and keeps your mind going constantly.

What was fascinating about Monday night was that we had enough boats to have two different races running sequentially. So, before we started or after we finished, we could watch the other race. It was amazing how obvious it was to see what the most strategic moves were when you were watching, and how hard it was to see them when you are in the middle of a race, juggling those eight things above!

So, can you see this in your business world? A fast-paced environment where it is sometimes hard to see clearly what is going on around you?

And maybe, it’s really easy to see what’s going on with other companies?

We have a 20+ year proven track record working with top leaders from the State Department to public and private companies to help them successfully navigate ever-shifting currents. Just last week, someone said to me, “This is so exciting – I just had to call our president. In one conversation, you are making connections and recommendations that people who have been on the inside for years have not put together.” (You can understand why I am not naming the organization.)

If you’re wrestling with multiple competing priorities or frustrated trying to get a group of stakeholders all sailing in the same direction and could benefit from an objective, external strategic sounding board, it may make sense for us to have a quick chat.