Category Archives: Sailing and outdoors

Doldrums

Posted on October 29, 2013 by Al Watts

Day after day, day after day, We stuck, no breath no motion; As idle as a painted ship Upon a painted ocean. –      (Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Rime of the Ancient Mariner) Sailors know doldrums well – persistent stillness and lack … Continue reading →

Posted in Leadership, Performance, Personal development, Sailing and outdoors, Teamwork | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Clear the Deck!

Posted on June 26, 2013 by Al Watts

In older days, “Clear the deck!” was a common command to prepare for doing battle at sea. The command focused attention, cleared visibility to gain a better perspective on the action, eliminated distractions and quickly channeled resources where they were … Continue reading →

Posted in Change, Integrity, Leadership, Performance, Personal development, Sailing and outdoors, Uncategorized, Values | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Situational Awareness

Posted on May 28, 2013 by Al Watts

On October 22, 1707, four ships and at least 1,400 seamen of Her Majesty’s fleet were lost off the Isles of Scilly near England; the primary cause was miscalculation of longitude. On the night of April 14, 1912, the “unsinkable” … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure, Leadership, Personal development, Sailing and outdoors, Teamwork | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Does Work Make You “Seasick?”

Posted on November 27, 2012 by Al Watts

Recently a colleague shared her distress with the turmoil, continuous change and what seemed like unrealistic expectations at her workplace. As she described the conditions and her reactions, I couldn’t help thinking how similar they were to those of mates … Continue reading →

Posted in Adventure, Leadership, Performance, Personal development, Sailing and outdoors, Teamwork | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment