What I Learned About Leadership on a Tall Ship to Iceland

The wind roared and waves crashed over the bow of the boat onto the deck, while we – the guest crew on a 132-foot-tall ship – awaited the captain’s orders.

For two weeks this summer, I had the rare opportunity to sail on an extraordinary tall ship from the Faroe Islands to Iceland – offshore in the beautiful, wild North Atlantic. Our training had been thorough. But we didn’t really know how our team would perform until we were in an actual live situation, such as this brewing storm with the ship pitching over the waves.

During the course of the two weeks, I observed the crew working in harmony, each knowing their role, while the captain regularly adjusted to the shifting demands of the environment and clearly communicated expectations to the team. I realized that it was a perfect leadership classroom.

A few things deeply impressed me:

The crew of 10 professionals and seven guests were from many different countries. We had different backgrounds, education, and languages, and yet we shared so many similarities. In these unusual circumstances, humans’ ability to connect, help one another, communicate, and work toward common goals was truly inspiring. The ever-shifting demands of life and work are something we share worldwide and, even in this physically and emotionally demanding situation, we constantly helped one another to adapt.  

This microcosm of leadership reminded me of research about teamwork and cooperation, as well as about applying leadership management styles in different situations.

Research has shown us many things about teamwork. For one, smooth-functioning teams are better at smart risk-taking, where conflict resolution can more often be handled by the team. Teams with diverse members are also more creative and generally perform up to 35 percent better than those that are homogenous. And when teams work well together, each member learns something, enhancing their resilience in meeting new challenges. During my journey with this crew, I certainly found these things to be true!

Great leaders also have a wide range of skills to draw upon, and one particular measure of their success is their team’s performance.  Leadership styles and style-switching – using the right leadership style in a certain situation – is another measure of success for a leader.

For example, a leader can use a coaching style in one situation very effectively, but in a situation that demands immediate compliance (sailing into a pending storm), a leader may use a more directive style of leadership. During my journey with the tall ship captain and his first mate, I witnessed extremely impactful examples of adapting leadership styles for varying situations. At one moment we were in calm teaching conditions, practicing climbing the rigging, or furling the sails, and other times, we were having to respond to a sudden wind shift, or a grey, ominous North Atlantic sky ahead of us.

I am so grateful to the captain, the crew, and the guest crew for creating a hopeful and inspiring example of strangers coming together to share a joint adventure and illustrating a microcosm of strong leadership and teamwork and cooperation.  May this be a metaphor for all of our leadership journeys as we seek to make an impact using our skills and talents. 

Thank you for reading this Leadership Insight of the Month. I feel as though we are an expansive crew with our sights on the horizon: seeking to expand our leadership skills, to continually evolve into better leaders, and to make a difference in our organizations and in the world. Sail on!