What are the attributes of an outstanding skipper?

Take a good hard look at yourself, and tell me which
attributes you feel need improvement in yourself.

Tell me what you plan to do to effect such improvements.

I'll start with a look at myself.



Attributes: Giving clear direction. Assigning Tasks.

Empowering my crew.



My problem area. I find I sometimes want to see

things run too perfectly or too quickly when speed is

not really important. So when someone else has trouble,

instead of talking them through it, I jump on it myself.



That does not empower my crew!



To fix this, I intend to delegate more by assigning tasks and

when people have questions, I'll ask them what they think

needs to be done to accomplish the task, and in the mean

time I'll focus on other issues to keep myself busy.


What are the attributes of an outstanding skipper?

Take a good hard look at yourself, and tell me which
attributes you feel need improvement in yourself.

Tell me what you plan to do to effect such improvements.

Interesting thread. I wonder how many people will be honest about their
problem areas.

I think my attributes as a skipper are giving clear direction, assigning
tasks, and giving everyone equal time at the helm or whatever post they
like. I believe I'm even-handed in praise and criticism, and I'm quick to
praise and slow to anger. I believe in the philosophy that says five good
things to say for every negative thing (well, three maybe). I think I'm
appropriately cautious.

I don't yell, but I do raise my voice to be heard. I think I make fairly
quick and fairly accurate judgements about someone's ability, or lack of
ability, to do a specific task. However, I think this is also a problem
area. I've seen this happen when teaching, wherein I make a judgement about
someone and am then proven wrong by later events. I believe that I need to
be more objective rather than subjective.

I think that the only way correct this situation, to be more objective, is
to do a tally at the end of the day, a formal list, of what a particular
person did well and didn't do well with, and then see what the balance looks
like. I tend to go by my impression first, which is not necessarily a bad
thing, but it can be misleading if used exclusively or in excess.

One interesting side note to this is a book I strongly recommend. It's
called Blink: The power of thinking without really thinking, by Malcom
Gladwell. It's short enough to be read in a day or so, but has a lot to say.

--
"j" ganz @@
www.sailnow.com

"Bart Senior" .@. wrote in message ...
I'll start with a look at myself.



Attributes: Giving clear direction. Assigning Tasks.

Empowering my crew.



My problem area. I find I sometimes want to see

things run too perfectly or too quickly when speed is

not really important. So when someone else has trouble,

instead of talking them through it, I jump on it myself.



That does not empower my crew!



To fix this, I intend to delegate more by assigning tasks and

when people have questions, I'll ask them what they think

needs to be done to accomplish the task, and in the mean

time I'll focus on other issues to keep myself busy.


What are the attributes of an outstanding skipper?

Take a good hard look at yourself, and tell me which
attributes you feel need improvement in yourself.

Tell me what you plan to do to effect such improvements.

"Bart Senior" .@. wrote in message ...
What are the attributes of an outstanding skipper?

Take a good hard look at yourself, and tell me which
attributes you feel need improvement in yourself.

Tell me what you plan to do to effect such improvements.


Excellent subject Bart.....

I have never questioned my leadership abilities.... they simply exist.
Concerns regarding maintaining discipline, crew dynamics or control have
never materialized. I have no understanding of situations where a Captain
has been challenged or direction has been questioned. It has simply never
occurred aboard any vessel I have skippered.

The ability to deliver command without question is directly associated with
the confidence and respect you have evoked from the crew. Nothing more and
nothing less. No book smarts nor certifications will ever bestow that on
anyone.

The obligations of leadership must be recognized prior to being implemented.
These include the vessel and the crew.

Improvements and strong points?..... Command is a dynamic position
requiring flexibility within a rigid operational structure. The dynamics
change with each crew/vessel

Never question your leadership abilities or commands. If you are taking time
to dissect your leadership skills here.... that uncertainty will in reality
be reflected onboard and will be seen as a sign of weakness.

The crew's confidence is a measure of the Captain's abilities. You'll have
it down pat when nobody knows who the Captain is.... but the crew!

CM

"Bart Senior" .@. wrote in message ...
What are the attributes of an outstanding skipper?

Take a good hard look at yourself, and tell me which
attributes you feel need improvement in yourself.

Tell me what you plan to do to effect such improvements.



Many good responses, but they all adhere to the old theories of management -
fullfilling the narcissistic needs of the crew. Face it, the number of crews
and captains that excel are few. A management philosophy that creates only
with a small number of succesful crews should be viewed as a failing
philosophy. I seriously suggest reading "The Art of Demotivation" by Dr. E.
L. Kersten. Here's a link:

http://demotivation.com/

I've seen the principles of this fine book applied in full under real team
conditions. I can honestly say it weeds out or corrects the problem people
fast and is of great benefit to the captains.

Bob Crantz

There is always room fro improvement. Albeit I agree
that a good skipper instills confidence. Things like giving
clear direction to crew that are eager to follow orders
makes a big difference. Training crew is important, if you
are like me, and want to see things done in a snappy and
safe manner.

During my last trip to the islands, I had two crew jumping
halyards at various times. They were each slow raising the
sail--to my standards, although it is hardly critical. Finally, I
decided to demonstrate how I did it, which was twice as fast,
while hollering "faster, faster" to the tailer to keep up. It
made a big impression on the crew and I wish I'd done it
earlier in the cruise. I'm a believer in doing some things
fast--particularly reefing.

Tying a knot fast relates to less time spend on the foredeck
or in an exposed position.

There are situations where you can mentally plan ahead to
get better performance from your crew. There are times
when a bit of training will do this also. Simple techniques
like using a crew's name, and slapping him or her on the
shoulder to confirm an order is a good habit to get into in
calm conditions, and clearly gets the message across in all
conditions, including extreme or distracting situations.

I can think of a time where a short order to a helmsman to
stay focused on driving, when their were all sorts of distractions
in the cockpit, would have avoided an injury. Being a good
skipper means anticipating things like this and speaking out
at just the right time.

You and I have talked about keeping crew busy as a good
technique to maintain control and exercise leadership. Why
don't you relate some of your techniques.



"Capt.Mooron" wrote

"Bart Senior" .@. wrote
What are the attributes of an outstanding skipper?

Take a good hard look at yourself, and tell me which
attributes you feel need improvement in yourself.

Tell me what you plan to do to effect such improvements.


Excellent subject Bart.....

I have never questioned my leadership abilities.... they simply exist.
Concerns regarding maintaining discipline, crew dynamics or control have
never materialized. I have no understanding of situations where a Captain
has been challenged or direction has been questioned. It has simply never
occurred aboard any vessel I have skippered.

The ability to deliver command without question is directly associated
with
the confidence and respect you have evoked from the crew. Nothing more and
nothing less. No book smarts nor certifications will ever bestow that on
anyone.

The obligations of leadership must be recognized prior to being
implemented.
These include the vessel and the crew.

Improvements and strong points?..... Command is a dynamic position
requiring flexibility within a rigid operational structure. The dynamics
change with each crew/vessel

Never question your leadership abilities or commands. If you are taking
time
to dissect your leadership skills here.... that uncertainty will in
reality
be reflected onboard and will be seen as a sign of weakness.

The crew's confidence is a measure of the Captain's abilities. You'll have
it down pat when nobody knows who the Captain is.... but the crew!

CM

On Sat, 29 Oct 2005 00:24:17 -0400, "Bart Senior" .@. wrote:

What are the attributes of an outstanding skipper?

Take a good hard look at yourself, and tell me which
attributes you feel need improvement in yourself.

Tell me what you plan to do to effect such improvements.

For me, and maybe for many of us, much of my sailing is done with
crews of varying experience. Great difference between a GORC race
crew and being the skipper of record on a BVI charter with a crew of
inexperienced friends and neighbors looking for a week of fun. Or an
around the clock, shorthanded, delivery trip. Or a day sail with my
better half (In all things other than sailing, thirty-five years and
still doesn't know the difference between a sheet and a halyard).

With that span, knowing what you can and cannot expect from your crew
is most important. And making sure that your crew will match the
event.

My weakest point is reverting to a skipper who overrates a crew's
experience during a minor crisis. Little squall comes up and I start
barking clear direct orders to a crew who clearly doesn't know what
I'm talking about.

I've crewed for others as much as I've skippered. There are a few I
would never go back with.

Frank

I often take crew aside and ask them how they think
they did. In private they are quick to admit their faults
Some of them elaborate, and some just admit making a
mistake. I praise what they did well and stress the
concept of thinking ahead. I then make a few suggestions
on areas to practice. This sounds is very similar to what
you do Jon. Like you I sometimes take notes and hit them
with a list of things so I can get the bad news over quickly.

I always try to make people feel comfortable with me
as a skipper and I can think of only one time when one
girl tried to cover up her mistakes--I overheard her lying
on the phone to her boyfriend about what happened.

On the other hand, I personally have a problem crewing
for someone when I'm expected to be something between
the skipper and crew. My solution is to avoid such situations
and clearly define all roles on the boat.

So, what did you learn from this book Blink?

"Capt. JG" wrote

I think that the only way correct this situation, to be more objective, is
to do a tally at the end of the day, a formal list, of what a particular
person did well and didn't do well with, and then see what the balance
looks
like. I tend to go by my impression first, which is not necessarily a bad
thing, but it can be misleading if used exclusively or in excess.

One interesting side note to this is a book I strongly recommend. It's
called Blink: The power of thinking without really thinking, by Malcom
Gladwell. It's short enough to be read in a day or so, but has a lot to
say.

Who was your worst skipper? What made it
intolerable?

"Frank Boettcher" wrote

I've crewed for others as much as I've skippered. There are a few I
would never go back with.

Like I said, I had doubts about some people's ability to be honest about
their deficits.

--
"j" ganz @@
www.sailnow.com

"Bart Senior" .@. wrote in message ...
There is always room fro improvement. Albeit I agree
that a good skipper instills confidence. Things like giving
clear direction to crew that are eager to follow orders
makes a big difference. Training crew is important, if you
are like me, and want to see things done in a snappy and
safe manner.

"Capt.Mooron" wrote

"Bart Senior" .@. wrote
What are the attributes of an outstanding skipper?

Take a good hard look at yourself, and tell me which
attributes you feel need improvement in yourself.

Tell me what you plan to do to effect such improvements.


Excellent subject Bart.....

I have never questioned my leadership abilities.... they simply exist.
Concerns regarding maintaining discipline, crew dynamics or control have
never materialized. I have no understanding of situations where a Captain
has been challenged or direction has been questioned. It has simply never
occurred aboard any vessel I have skippered.

The ability to deliver command without question is directly associated
with
the confidence and respect you have evoked from the crew. Nothing more
and
nothing less. No book smarts nor certifications will ever bestow that on
anyone.

The obligations of leadership must be recognized prior to being
implemented.
These include the vessel and the crew.

Improvements and strong points?..... Command is a dynamic position
requiring flexibility within a rigid operational structure. The dynamics
change with each crew/vessel

Never question your leadership abilities or commands. If you are taking
time
to dissect your leadership skills here.... that uncertainty will in
reality
be reflected onboard and will be seen as a sign of weakness.

The crew's confidence is a measure of the Captain's abilities. You'll
have
it down pat when nobody knows who the Captain is.... but the crew!

CM