3 Lessons Learned From Sailing

Today marked the maiden voyage of my son, Steve's new (to him) sailboat, Ubiquitous. What a great day. Up to now, for the last 5 weeks we've made weekly trips down to make sure it was still floating, run the engine to charge the batteries, so that it continued to run the bilge, to keep the boat afloat. I even spent the night aboard on one trip. But, owning a boat, and sleeping on it are not why you buy one. (Even though Steve bought it as his dorm room : ), that's another story.

Here's what we experienced today!

1. The power of combining or opposing forces!

While motoring with the inboard diesel, we discovered that when you run with the current, it adds 4 or 5 knots/hr to you speed! We gain so much momentum when we join forces with others. Look for ways to join with others where you can. While under sail today, we discovered that while we seemed to be doing 5 knots, our gps showed our speed was zero! The current was enough against us that it made our progress null! Ever have those days (months or years) when you worked hard, thought things were going great, only to discover that your progress was unraveling?! Check your gps! Another perspective is often needed to get an accurate read on your progress.

2. Communication is key!

Friends of ours helped us sail today, Rogor and Debbie are veteran sailors and when they spoke, we listened. Years of hands-on experience communicated practically made today SO enjoyable. Communcation done right can make even a menial task fun! On a boat, there are rules and things that need to be done a certain way, to keep that enjoyment from turning into disaster. How we communicate makes all the difference! Clear, concise instructions, follow up to check for understanding are elements of good comminication.

3. Someone has to be in charge!

Rogor was our skipper today. Debbie was the first mate. Steve and I were crew. We didn't draw straws, we didn't vote. We did what Rogor felt comfortable doing today and traveling as far as he thought we should. Rogor called the shots, taught us navigation, right of way, channel marker identification. Debbie taught us ropes, lines, knots, sheets, mainsails, gibs, reefing, and more! We and our organizations do well when there is strong leadership. Rogor and Debbie, like good leaders, realize that if they keep all that knowledge to themselves, we wouldn't progress as well and they would have a bored crew, which often leads to mutiny : - ) Taking the time to teach and lead brought vast enjoyment to the day! Good leadership is good for everyone!

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Video Update

Hi guys!

It's been a while since I've posted, but wanted to give you an update on things video...

At my job at CSI Technology Outfitters, we are in our busy season as most public organizations (i.e. School Districts, etc) come up on their year end. In the midst of this busyness with lots of year end marketing campaign that I assist with, we are also about half way finished with the construction of the CSI TV Studio! I am so excited that this dream is becoming a reality. When our team met last November to plan our 2011 campaigns, one of the things we saw was the need to add a "21st Century" flair to what we do. So many of our clients have given us feedback that says they want video. Whether it's a Lunch and Learn, or simple announcements, they (with their busy schedules and travel restrictions) would love to sit at their desk and click a url to attend.

With that in mind, we went to work to secure funding through our vendor partners' marketing funds to put CSI TV in place. We bought cameras, lighting, audio, etc. and recently also began construction of a 20' x 20' fully sound-proofed (we have a noisy old building) studio with post production room.

We began shooting (in our training room) numerous video episodes surrounding our Classroom Products as they were our major sponsor to get us going. They loved the idea and quickly approved the use of our funds for video.

Now that structure is in place, we've better defined our channels, and are getting ready to shoot more episodes across our different offerings.

It's taken a lot of work to get here, but it is going to be such a great way to communicate with our customers and prospective customers in a way that they can appreciate! It's more than just doing something cool (and it is!), it's doing it with a purpose, and that's makes all the difference!