Rod Davis
Inform others to inform yourself
A few months ago we ‘talked’ about the culture of high-achieving big teams, the values that every- one should, no, stronger than that, that everyone must buy into if the team is to become the industry standard, the team other teams aspire to emulate. It takes years of top-down dedication to become the dominant team (or business).
Then there are the other variants: is the development coach dealing with a team or individuals and are they working towards a season performance or a one-off regatta? The way you treat all these is very different, even though your objective is the same: to get the very best out of the team and each of the individuals over the timeframe you are working with.
To this end, I will let you in on this year’s coaching gameplan to get the best out of my teams and their players, enabling them to take themselves to the next level. Note: ‘themselves’ – I am just the guy who plans to help make that happen.
It does not matter if you’re on a two-person or 20-person boat, the collective knowledge will outperform anyone’s individual knowl- edge. The trick is to get that collective knowledge out on the table so that each individual can be part of both teaching and learning. And the trick to that, or flaw in that, is dealing with self-interest. That is part of the coach’s role. You can always bet on self-interest, self-interest is always there. It is always the strongest of all the emotions. So turning self-interest into an asset for the team by showing and sharing your knowledge while gaining other people’s knowledge and expertise in areas where you are not as strong, that way your self-interest is best served.
For example, we have a sailmaker onboard who knows sail design, shapes and set-up well beyond the rest of the team’s knowledge. At the same time we have a tactician who can read the water and anticipate wind shifts like he can read the future! Both of them dabble in each other’s world and at times have a real interest or opinion of the other’s world. Each would be better by learning from each
20 SEAHORSE
other, and the team would be far better to boot. My job is to the facilitate that sharing… and much more.
This applies to the coach and sailors in the same way. I know a hell of a lot about racing sailboats and putting teams together (but always learning more) but sailors often know more about their specific type of boat, be it a 49er or a Dragon, than I do. By openly sharing our knowledge we will all be better off and improve at a faster rate. I have done this throughout my sailing and coaching career. I am happy to open up my ‘How To’ notebook and share, if I get knowledge back. Even if the trade does not look like a great one at the time, if it gets me one more rung up the ladder, it’s a gain for me. If the other person gains two rungs up the ladder, it does not matter. I am one rung up on where I was before we shared information. Self- interest served nicely for me, him and, most importantly, the team. Don’t look at it like you’re giving anything away, you just want to
go a rung up the ladder and make an impact that helps the team perform better. You do that, you win as an individual and the team wins at the same time… the perfect deal! It’s about getting the best out of everyone, including yourself.
Done right, you and the rest of the team become teachers as well as students in a higher education where no one can afford the tuition.
Now the all-important part of how… in three parts 1) Ego-free debriefings. I don’t particularly like the word ‘debriefing’. It does not always stir the emotion of open and free discussion. It almost makes you think it’s going to be more like an inquiry into any mistakes made on the day. I have had great success getting people into open-thinking discussions by calling debriefs ‘think tank sessions’, sometimes with beer in hand to open the hearts and minds of the team (some yachting federations would scorn this, but it works). Whatever way you do it, egos need to be checked outside. Egos only prevent you (and the team) from moving forward quickly. 2) Always explain why. The why is the most important aspect of learn- ing. At a think tank session you say whatever you want, but explain
MAX RANCHI
JESUS RENEDO
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