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Team Unity
Strategy #1
Make the team the rock star.
There are many ways to assemble a team to compete for the Tattersall's trophy. Someone with the financial resources of Larry Ellison can search for the best sailors in the world and put them on retainer. Those who are not billionaires, but whose finances are still substantial, can hire individual superstars who will carry the team with brilliant sailing. Or, like the Ramblers, you can make the team itself a rock star.
There is no single right or wrong way to construct a competitive ocean racing team, and there are boats with some exceptionally talented and acclaimed sailors that still place a premium on teamwork. But the culture of AFR Midnight Rambler, and a number of other winning boats I studied, is grounded in the belief that there is only one rock star, and that superstar is the team. As Ed Psaltis puts it:
Before the race even started, all the crew felt like they had a say in what was happening. All seven crew members were made to feel that they were part of the team, that they had a role to play, and that they could speak up if they wanted to express their views.1
There were no heavies on board. Everyone had to do the whole season as part of the team, and that created a close sense of camaraderie even before the race. Flat management is a term that could be used to describe the system. Everyone had a say, regardless of whether they were the skipper or navigator, or had another job in the crew.
The No Rock Star policy was put to the test when the crew had to decide whether to sail into the ‘98 storm and slog to Hobart or turn around and run for the safety of Eden on the Australian mainland. Because of the severity of the conditions and the urgency of the situation, there was no formal team meeting. But the decision initially proposed by Ed and Bob—to take the waves on the bow rather than the stern—was supported by everyone on the boat.
This level of alignment can be hard to achieve even under normal sailing conditions. And when the seas are rough and adrenaline is pumping, it is extraordinarily difficult to maintain. But the concept of a Rock Star Team is fundamental to AFR Midnight Rambler and to a number of other boats that perform consistently well with a committed crew.
Tactics for Teamwork at The Edge
Find committed team members who want to go to Hobart
The Ramblers have rejected a number of very talented sailors who were eager to do the Hobart but were unwilling to put in the hard miles leading up to the race. They've also rejected people who were willing to put in the time but didn't have the stomach for the Hobart.
It's one thing to sail around the buoys in the harbor, but—as I discovered—quite another to be on the rail in the middle of the Bass Strait. In fact, at one point I thought to myself that a lot of the race experience could be replicated in three steps: First, buy a lot of expensive sailing gear; second, find a commercial laundromat; and third, climb into a large washing machine set on cold and stay there for three or four days. It's not for everyone.
A business team that aspires to excellence may not have the same physical challenges as an ocean racing crew, but lofty goals require sacrifice, dedication, and the ability to persevere. Selecting people with the right levels of confidence and motivation is fundamental, and it would be disingenuous to suggest that—by applying the right teamwork strategies—a crew with incompetent or unmotivated individuals will perform at the highest levels. I know from personal experience that there is no magic Teamwork at The Edge formula that will compensate for racing with the wrong crew.
Realistic job previews are important. It's unlikely that people will join the Marine Corps or the Navy SEALs with the expectation that the job will be easy. But enlistment efforts that paint a rosy picture will attract candidates eager to step into that appealing recruiting poster. If the work is going to be tough, it's better to recognize that from the outset.
Sailing teams have a built-in assessment center that can be used to evaluate an individual's commitment and skill. A few rough days on the water will quickly reveal motivation and ability—and the fainthearted are often eager to remove themselves from the team.
Teams in more traditional organizations may not have such a straightforward testing mechanism, but a systematic assessment process can be extremely valuable. I have successfully used targeted approaches such as those proposed in Who: The A Method for Hiring, by Geoff Smart and Randy Street. The authors argue that mistakes happen when managers:
Are unclear about what is needed in the job
Have a weak flow of candidates
Have trouble discriminating the right candidates from a group of similar-looking applicants
Lose candidates they really want to join the team2
These seem like obvious factors to consider. But I once naïvely assumed that sound leadership and teamwork principles could make any group of individuals successful. After a few humbling failures, I realized that my early experience in the Marine Corps had led me to believe that anyone on my team would have the desire and ability to accomplish tough assignments.
This assumption was demonstrably wrong. I finally recognized the importance of following a systematic selection process. It was only then that I was able to assemble a Rock Star Team capable of competing in our metaphorical Sydney to Hobart Race. Careful selection takes time, energy, and focus, but the outcome is well worth the effort.
Look for diversity and get the right person in the right job
A sailboat is a great example of an organization with a highly differentiated set of skill requirements. The forward hand needs to be nimble and willing to endure lots of cold water. The helmsman needs to have an ability to steer a straight course regardless of the weather conditions and to adjust to a constantly changing environment. The navigator needs to understand the weather and to come up with a winning set of maneuvers in a changing environment. And there are some jobs that simply require brute strength.
The Ramblers understood the formula, and they got it right. Jonno was perfect on the bow, Mix organized the lines in the pit, Ed was great at steering, and Bob was an expert navigator. Arthur, Chris, and Gordo all had unique individual skills. But there is more to creating a Rock Star Team than just having the right skill set. Personalities need to mesh as well, and teams need to find balance.
Mix, for example, is not only good at organization, but he is also patient—something that Ed is not. Ed candidly admits:
When the breeze is light and the boat is not going very fast, I get impatient very quickly. That rubs off on the whole crew. I've realized over the years that this is my problem, and I'm trying to get better at it. But I'm just not a great light air sailor.
Mix, on the other hand, is fantastic. The guy just hangs on to the wheel with absolute concentration. He doesn't let the slow speed faze him, and he has time and again got the boat out of depressing situations. The rule is, if the breeze is under 5 knots, get Mix on the helm and get Ed off. And I gladly give it up, because I know that Mix can get the boat going faster than I ever could.3
Each member of the Rambler crew might have failed in the wrong job. And the misfit could have arisen from lack of technical skill or from temperament. Over time, however, the Ramblers created a Rock Star Team by fitting the sailors together like puzzle pieces. There was absolute clarity about strengths and weaknesses—both in sailing skills and in personality—and that clarity has resulted in exceptional success.
AFR Midnight Rambler is not the only team to solve the puzzle. When Bill Koch set out to win the 1992 America's Cup on America, he specifically organized the team to minimize each person's individual weakness. He evaluated each person on a scale of 1 to 10 on the dimensions of talent, teamwork, and attitude. Not everyone on the final team was good at everything, but they had to be exceptional at one thing. “Each one gave everything he had to his individually designed role,” said Koch, “and each role was designed to maximize particular skills.”4
The American team crossed the finish line in first place, beating their Italian competitors—favored by 100-to-1 odds—by 44 seconds. Koch's formula was identical to that of the Ramblers. Find a diverse team of people who are committed to the goal and committed to teamwork, then get them playing the right position.
Minimize hierarchy and status differences
Sailors who join a crew as rock stars are highly paid, and they often get something else as well: special privileges. Celebrated helmsmen, for example, might be hired to just steer the boat and, therefore, get more sleep. They can get better meals than the other crew. They're “looked after.”
In many ways this makes sense. They're very good sailors, they have special skills, and they need to be fresh so that they can sail to the best of their ability. If the boat isn't being steered properly, then it can't possibly sail as fast as its potential.
But there is a downside. Other crew members who are tired, cold, and stressed can't help but notice the special treatment given to people in so-called jewel positions. Intellectually, they may understand the logic of special privilege. But emotionally, there is a different level of connectedness when everyone is expected to bear the same hardships.
Minimizing hierarchy and status differences doesn't mean that everyone has an equal say in decision making. But it is a fundamental shift in the way people think about their individual value and about the ethos of the team.
Bob Thomas, for example, has a special position as a navigator. But when there's a cup of coffee to be made and others aren't up to it or are seasick, Bob makes coffee. And when there's something to be pumped or sponged out of the bilge, Bob happily does the job no one else wants to do.
As the boat's co-owner, with a special set of skills, Bob could avoid these unpleasant jobs. But his willingness to pitch in has earned him the nickname of “the janitor”—a role that is clearly the opposite of a jewel position. This kind of willingness to sacrifice for the team is contagious, and others volunteer to do more than their share. The egalitarian spirit contributes to the building of a Rock Star Team, and it helps ensure that the fundamental bonds remain strong in the face of adversity.
Strive for mateship
Not every team can create—nor should it aspire to create—the level of close personal friendships that exists among members of the AFR Midnight Rambler crew. But I believe close relationships can be developed among team members that extend beyond the level of connectedness that exists in many formal business environments. That kind of connection is different than a personal friendship and professional relationship. I think of it as mateship.
The concept was brought home to me a number of times during my sailing adventures in Australia. One particularly vivid example occurred on a dark night when I was helping Jungle—aka James Craddock—drag a giant sail onto the deck at night. Nicknamed the “Anaconda,” the sail was so long that it wound around the cramped spaces below like a giant snake. It was also extremely heavy, so it took a tremendous amount of tugging, pulling, and pushing to get the sail on deck and ready to be hoisted.
Jungle was the powerhouse of the operation, but I put everything I had into getting the Anaconda in position as quickly as possible. When the task was complete, Jungle looked at me with a slight grin and said quietly, “Cheers, mate.”
The impact of those two words was quite astonishing. Given my relative lack of experience, I wasn't contributing to the team in the way I wanted. But I had given it my best effort, and I knew that Jungle was saying, in his own way, “Well done.”
Even more important, he and I were mates on that race. Jungle helped me figure out how to get into the “coffin bunk,” which was so tight I could hardly squeeze into it—and I could never turn sideways. He helped me negotiate the confusing process of stumbling around in the dark while the boat was pounding into heavy waves. And he cared enough to take the time while facing his own challenges.
Although I have corresponded with Jungle by e-mail, we are not close personal friends who stay in touch. But Jungle helped me understand the concept of mateship, and it is something I have tried to create whenever I'm a leader or member of a team. A simple “Cheers, mate” can go a long way in building a Rock Star Team.
Have a Jonno Trophy
In addition to his ability as a forward hand, John “Jonno” Whitfeld developed a reputation for his dedication to teamwork—even while taking buckets of cold water over his head without complaint. In recognition of his extraordinary contributions, the Ramblers presented Jonno with a trophy acknowledging his “Outstanding effort under adverse conditions.”
Although the award began as something of a tongue-in-cheek ceremony, the John Whitfeld Trophy has evolved into an important part of the Ramblers’ tradition. At the end of each sailing season, the Ramblers vote for the crew member they feel has put in the greatest effort on behalf of the team. Then at an awards dinner, the winner from the previous year passes the trophy on to the new winner.
Although the trophy is somewhat like a most valuable player award, its significance lies in the fact that crew members are voting on effort and teamwork. The winner may not be the most technically advanced sailor. It could be a less experienced person who distinguishes himself with his dedication to the team.
What started out as a bit of humor has now become an important symbol of commitment to the success of the team. Although teams in other settings may not hand out a trophy, symbolic ways of rewarding effort and commitment to the group are important to building a Rock Star Team.
Remember the X-Team
In their thoughtful book on teamwork, X-Teams: How to Build Teams That Lead, Innovate, and Succeed, Deborah Ancona and Henrik Bresman argue that the internal focus promoted by many best-selling books on teamwork can lead to failure. This inward focus can cause teams to become insular in organizational settings that require members to work in a matrix of many other teams.5
This is a perspective worthy of careful consideration. The metaphor in this book is one that emphasizes a crew in direct competition with a number of other boats and crews. To the extent that this model creates insular thinking with an us-versus-them mentality, it can detract from team effectiveness in a larger organization. But with this caveat, I believe it is possible to learn from the exceptional teamwork of boats like the Rambler while maintaining the ability to work outside team boundaries.
Stepping back from the events of the ‘98 Hobart race, it is clear that there were many X-Teams operating during the storm. With 1,000 rescuers called into action, the level of external and collaborative focus was intense. The paramedics from SouthCare had to coordinate with rescuers on Helimed. Sword of Orion broke protocol to broadcast a high wind warning. And the yacht Siena went to the aid of Stand Aside while coordinating with another team on the ABC news helicopter.
At sea, ship captains have a legal obligation to render assistance to other vessels or aircraft in distress—providing the captain's own crew will not be endangered. In a traditional organizational setting, there may be no legal obligations for collaboration. But teams that succeed in this metaphorical race need to be capable of Janusian thinking.
Janus, the Roman god of gates and doors, is often depicted as looking in two opposite directions simultaneously. Janus has come to symbolize the ability to hold two different thoughts in one's mind at the same time. In many settings, Rock Star Teams need to be able to do the same thing. On the one hand, they need to be looking inward and creating a sense of unparalleled esprit and unity. But on the other hand, they also need to maintain the ability to collaborate beyond team boundaries and build strong external ties. As paradoxical as it may seem, they need to be Rock Star Teams in Rock Star Organizations.
Navigation Points
1. Are all members of your team committed to the team goal? Are they willing to put in the time and make the effort needed to achieve that goal?
2. Do team members have a realistic understanding of the sacrifice, dedication, and perseverance it will take to achieve the goal?
3. Does your team have the diverse set of skills needed for success? Do you have the right people in the right roles?
4. Does everyone on your team pitch in to help, or do you have rock stars in jewel positions?
5. Is there a sense of mateship in your team? Do you have a shared personal connection that contributes to the team's effectiveness?
6. Are individual members rewarded for contributing to the success of the team? Do you have a Jonno Trophy?
7. When needed, are you able to look outside the boundaries of your team and work with external teams and individuals? Can you be an X-Team when the situation calls for it?