How to nurture a high performing team

Want to build a high performing team? Then it’s time to cast your ego aside and get real says record breaking skipper Nikki Henderson:

The first thing I do when I meet a new crew is gather everyone together and get each member to introduce themselves. It’s a pretty common thing for team leaders to do whether on land or sea.

For the RORC Caribbean 600 race this year, 12 of us sat together sweltering under the boom tent and spent over an hour on this introduction. Alongside the usual, “How do you like to be called?” and “What’s your sailing experience?” I asked, “What are you hoping to get out of this experience?” and “What are you feeling nervous about?”

For many, this whole process can feel like a waste of time. A life story about the challenges someone overcame to go sailing isn’t relevant, right? What we need to know is: can you trim a sail? We’re going racing. We’re not here to sail 600 miles for therapy. – Full report