Leadership

As a leader – what questions do you ask of yourself the night before the ‘Big Game’?

Dean Barker and James Spithill
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You know last night had to be a long night for both Dean Barker (ETNZ) and James Spithill (Oracle USA) on the eve of what will be the most epic battle in the history of sailing. Sitting in very different places looking at the same objective – they must have been wrestling with very different questions.

Dean Barker ETNZDean Barker – up 8 to 1 a week ago, with just one win between The Cup and his team & country. Now – bearing the mental burden of a staggering losing streak.

James Spithill USAJames Spithill – behind 1 to 8 last week after starting with a 2 point penalty – now riding the wave of one of the greatest come-back stories in all of sport… And they meet this afternoon (pending wind) in the Super Bowl of sailing – winner take all.

The Cup brings opportunities AND burdens that go above and beyond any other sailing competition. In addition to the sailing team and boat – there are hundreds (thousands) of people that have made each of these campaigns possible in these areas:
• Technology design, building & maintenance
• Business organization; sales, marketing, finance, legal etc.
• Fitness; nutrition, exercise, rehab
• Media
• Corporate sponsors & private supporters, not to mention…
• Fans with raging national pride

With all that on their shoulders…
• What are they thinking?
• What questions kept them awake last night?
• What questions did they wake up to this morning?
The questions they ask of themselves will bring clarity of priorities and focus. As stated in the NY Times article ‘Distilling Wisdom of Effective C.E.Os’ April 17, 2011, ‘The greatest contribution a CEO makes to their organization may be asking the right questions.’

As a leader, what questions are you asking of yourself the night before the ‘Big Game’?

AC Stand off

Introducing Rising Tide Leadership Institute

Risign Tide Leadership website
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Look at what we’ve been working on!

It was a year ago that Courageous Thinking created a blog to Spotlight Katie Pettibone. Katie was in the Middle East coaching young Omani women to sail and then race in the grueling 1200 mile Sailing Arabia the Tour. Young women who had never been in a gym learned to compete against men in offshore sailing.  These young women’s lives were changed, they discovered greater potential for who they could be and they became leaders and role models for thousands of other young women. Katie and I knew we had to do something more to create opportunities through sports for women to develop into their full potential. We know that when women are elevated, the whole world wins.

So, we’ve spent the last year creating Rising Tide Leadership Institute.

RTLI website

At RTLI we believe that there is a direct correlation between the skill development required to successfully compete in high-technology sports and the skill development needed to lead and succeed in the global economy. We have built a unique global model for inspiring and equipping women leaders to compete in the global economy. Katie just landed in Kuwait to rejoin Dee Caffari and the young Omani women to continue their journey.  The Oman Sail women’s team will be competing in the Sailing Arabia the Tour 2013 starting February 12- 26th.

Come learn about the Rising Tide Leadership Institute and follow Katie, Dee and the Omani women’s adventure along the Arabian Coast.

This is going to be a blast!

Linda