Companies need sailors!

On job descriptions you often read:

• Looking for "C - level presentation and communication ability »

But never I have ever read:

• Looking for « Seafarer skills and sailing mindset »

Read below to understand why you should hire sailors in your teams.

Ten skills

1. Analytical skills: compass, charts, nautical almanac, weather forecasts… he is gathering and analyzing data from several sources to make right decisions. 
2. Flexibility: he adapts his route to the weather conditions. Each day on a boat has new challenges to tackle. No wind, he will sew a sail. Rainy day, he will have a shower. Sunny and windy weather, he will ride the waves.
3. Self-awareness: a sailor has time for introspection and can assess his strengths and weaknesses. This self-reflection will develop his physical and mental endurance
4. Stress tolerance: he stays relaxed even to do a Mayday call. What does stress bring to the situation? Nothing. When you deal with situations where your life may be at stake, you can handle any situation in a company.
5. Decision making: from the final destination to the settings of the sails, everything has to be decided. There is no place for shaded area on a boat.
6. Action planning:  after setting a route, a sailor will plan when to tack. He will update position report. He will fix a broken rudder if necessary..
7. Creativity: do you know the story of Yves Parlier? He fixed a mast with light bulbs and a homemade oven. A sailor is the MacGyver of the ocean, with one rope he can almost do everything.
8. Verbal communication: face to face communication or through VHF radio. Clear and precise messages to be understood even if conditions are not optimal.
9. Sense of responsibility: he takes care of his boat and also cares for others.
10. Team spirit: On board safety is everybody’s business. If someone falls into the sea, it’s not the problem of a single person. Man overboard scenario shows you that everyone in the crew has a role to rescue your teammate.

One mindset

• Learning by doing

You learn by doing and thanks to more experimented sailors sharing their knowledge with you. Books give the basis, shared stories from others will give you practical tips and personal experiences will sharpen your abilities.

• Doing it with feeling

You are in communion with the nature. Listening to the wind, watching the waves, you make decisions mostly based on your five senses. Sailing reminds us that we have instinct and we sometimes should follow our feeling.

• Sharing is caring

With your crew you share weather conditions, hoisting sails, fishing, cooking, laughing, having beers…basically you are sharing slices of life.

Friends + boat = Fellows + ship = Fellowship. Is this a coincidence? I don’t think so.

Great skills and a perfect mindset, don't wait to hire sailors!

SD

P.S: I am very grateful to my friend Augustin , who is sharing his sailing passion with all his friends!