I decided, and we lost

Rick Williams is an experienced leader and adviser in a wide variety of industries, and wrote a book on how to make better business decisions. In this report, he shares how sailing has helped his professional life:

We lost a sailboat race this summer by 13 seconds. My decision, made before the race even started, cost us at least three minutes and, ultimately, first place.

We had a fast boat and talented crew and, while we were competing against some of the best sailors in the sport, our team collectively had the experience and talent to take the top spot. But one mistake I made before the race began undermined all that effort.

This is a story about execution, about winning or losing when you have a great product or technology, the required finances and super talent on your team. And it’s about the central role of leadership decisions and culture as powerful drivers of success.

I’ve spent much of my career leading companies and advising executives, but as I often say, “Everything I know about leadership I really learned on my sailboat.”

Here’s what happened. – Full report