The solo around the world yacht race and other sailing related items.
Skippers’ Briefing
After my keynote address in Charlotte, NC, I was scheduled to have breakfast with my client and the top leadership of the organization. These breakfasts are called Skippers’ Briefing, just as in the yacht racing world where skippers meet to discuss the latest issues of safety, weather conditions and final preparation that is essential to the entire fleet.
As such, we meet to discuss the elements of my keynote that stood out most for them. I am hearing about the importance of the vision, the determination and the dedication to the dream, plus the elements of hard work, networking and relationship building. When the Skippers’ Briefing starts, there is no set agenda, just what this means to the audience and how it applies in there day to day.
In this last Skippers’ Briefing, a young man made reference to it was easy for me, and hard for others. His comment was that once I had the vision and made the commitment, it was plain sailing to the end. My response was that at no point was it easy, and that at times it was far from enjoyable. There were times when I was afraid of failing not just myself, but all those who believed in me, and gave there support, plus that there where times it was not possible to cook and eat a hot meal, dealing with life threatening weather conditions, or just absolutely exhausted that normal function was near impossible. Yet, through all this, there were the joyous times, periods of reflection and contemplation. I always tried to create an environment to keep going, no matter how bad conditions were.
I followed these comments by stating that in the United States, many people think that when the going gets tough, they can buy there way out, or that they can quit. There is a lot of short sighted vision that results in quick changes because a road block was hit. Too many people live with the instant gratification. They say that they want something, but are not willing to fully commit to make it happen, through the tough times. Hence we see a lot of career changes, divorces, and unhappy people.
We need to identify what it is that is important, make the investment of ourselves and our resources if it is the right desire, and find a way to make it happen through the thick and the thin. Rome as not built in a day, or alone. It took hard work, and smart work. Are we willing to settle for less, of strive for what we believe in?