The Ocean Racing Leadership Challenge™
Businesses and indeed, organisations of all kinds, have long recognised that of all the factors affecting their performance, leadership remains the single most important. From Nelson to Shackleton, history is littered with examples of extraordinary performance and achievements inspired by the world’s great leaders, examples that continue to be much analysed and used as metaphors by the more informed of today’s captains of industry.

However, it is direct exposure to modern day metaphors that provides the greatest inspiration and proves to be of most value to today’s leaders. Surprisingly perhaps, this is easier said than done, the best examples often remaining inadequately researched and generally inaccessible.

The Ocean Racing Leadership Challenge™ takes as its metaphor the experiences and research surrounding one of the world’s toughest team events, the BT Global Challenge. This event features twelve yachts racing right around the world in a westerly direction, against the prevailing winds and currents including those of the notorious Southern Oceans. Each yacht is crewed by amateur volunteers, the only professional on-board being the skipper. The yachts are identical – only the skipper and crew can make the difference between winning and losing.

As a metaphor for business, the BT Global Challenge addresses all of the key leadership and performance issues likely to be encountered including:

• Building a high performing team
• Creating a culture and climate for winning
• Sustaining a winning position
• Thriving under pressure
• Sustaining performance and motivation in difficult times
• Overcoming setbacks to achieve performance
• Recognising the skills and capabilities needed for inspirational leadership

The Ocean Racing Leadership Challenge™ addresses these same issues by simulating actual legs of the 200o/1 race, its participants competing in teams to take decisions on real scenarios that parallel situations faced by business leaders. Being discrete, practical and in largely unfamiliar territory, these challenges stimulate enormous focus in high pressure situations that delegates are able to relate directly to their own organisations.

Performance is measured by assessing each team’s responses during each leg of the Ocean Racing Leadership Challenge™ and awarding points accordingly, results being displayed graphically to show leg and overall race positions. Teams are also given the opportunity to review their own leadership and teamwork performances, enabling lessons to be learned and retained through personal participation, development and shared experience.

The Programme Details
All of our programmes are developed through consultation with the client organisation. The challenges selected and exercises created then address the particular Team and Leadership behaviours that are of your highest priority.

Typical programme will include the following:

• An after dinner keynote presentation
• A full day’s training on the Leadership Challenge
• Delegates’ training packs

Optionally, the Ocean Racing Leadership Challenge™ can be further enhanced with a day’s sailing. If you would like to learn more about this event then please download the pdf document or contact us for a free, no-obligation quotation for your event.