How to Deal with a Storm

November 14, 2024

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Imagine starting your day with light winds coming from the right direction. You raise your sails, and under full sail, all in harmony, your boat and crew are happy. You’re headed exactly where you want to go using minimal resources. There’s no engine noise—just the wind and the occasional waves splash. This is how I’d like every day to feel.

But just like life in corporate, the conditions are not always ideal out on the sea. There are ups and downs, fair skies, and storms. And times when even the best-laid plans and the most regarded leaders are tested.

After 20+ years of corporate experience, I decided to take a break and pursue my passion for sailing. I bought a sailboat, thinking this journey would free my mind from the corporate mindset. Instead, I found the business world was embedded in me, and I couldn’t help noticing parallels between being a captain on the open sea and being a corporate leader.

The sailing experience gave me a new perspective as a corporate leader—a boiled-down, simplified, straightforward view. I have learned more about myself in the past 3 years captaining a boat than in the 20+ years leading teams in corporate.

Reading the Signs of Change

Let’s go back to the open water.

The wind picks up gradually, waves rise, and subtle signs hint at a brewing storm. Your boat begins to “talk” to you with settled signals—a slight heel, wind whistling louder on the shrouds, blocks popping, the wheel starts talking back…Are you paying attention?

For a novice or non-sailor, these signs may look and feel insignificant, perhaps part of everyday nautical life, but for a helmsman, the person in charge, how you respond at this seemingly insignificant moment defines what kind of leader you are.

At this point, you have choices: ignore the warning signs and hope the wind dies down, deal with the upcoming storm when it becomes a real problem or take proactive steps to prepare for what’s coming. How you respond to the situation when things are calm defines your leadership style.

There are three types of leadership styles. I am sure you can relate to all three, either from your previous or current work.

The worst leaders or skippers are those oblivious to what’s brewing. They don’t recognize the warning signs and cannot foresee what is about to happen. Even worse, they don’t know how to react when s$%t hits the fan. You don’t want to be on that boat. If you’re stuck there, either get off at the next harbor or make sure you have a life vest handy.

Then, there are leaders who recognize the signals but choose to ignore them—either out of inexperience, uncertainty, or overconfidence. They might think they can “handle it” if/when things get worse. This approach can lead to a reactive, crisis-driven style of leadership.

Most corporate leaders and skippers I have met are in this league. And only a handful are good at it.

Prudent leaders, like seasoned skippers, on the other hand, read the signs and take immediate action, even if it means extra effort and making tough calls that may not please everyone on board. Especially when everything seems and feels fine when all is calm and enjoyable.

Lessons Learned at Sea

One thing I learned living on a boat: if you notice even the slightest hint of a problem—whether with equipment, people, or external factors like the weather—best to deal with it right away. Ignoring an issue only makes it worse and harder to handle later. Even those smaller, seemingly insignificant problems- fix them when conditions are calm; fix them before they become something more significant.

Going back to our story,

As conditions worsen, your boat is moaning, your crew is getting antsy, and nervous eyes are looking to you for guidance.

The longer you delay, the more effort it takes to react. As the stress on the boat and the crew increases, the insignificant things you ignored to fix in calm weather surfaces and create more problems. Equipment breaks because you didn’t fix that loose screw; people now scream because you ignored them when they were whispering.

As the pressure intensifies, weak links, loose connections, and people start crumbling.

You’re in a storm, unprepared.

How to Become a Prudent Leader

Well, how do you prepare for the storm? How to become a prudent skipper?

How do you read the situation, foresee challenges, and prepare yourself, your boat, and your crew beforehand?

Three ingredients are essential in a prudent leader.

· Training – You must know your domain and the discipline you are in. If you don’t, you should not be steering the boat.

· Experience – Once you have adequate training, the next ingredient is experience, which, in a sense, is continuous learning.

· Confidence – comes with training + experience.

The sailing school I attended in Berkeley, CA had a tagline: “Inspire Confidence.” I didn’t fully appreciate it at first, but now I do. They gave you the training and enough experience to get you going, but true confidence comes only with time and experience …

After you deal with storms.

Qualities of a prudent leader:

Staying Tuned In

After years on the sea and thousands of nautical miles, you develop a bond with your boat. I don’t mean a mystical connection; it’s a physical one. You start to anticipate how your boat will react in a given situation. You notice her joy when conditions are perfect, sails are trimmed just right, and she slides through the waves. And also, when she’s in pain and complaining—whether it’s a slight vibration, a faint creak, or a subtle shift in balance—you hear, feel, if you pay attention.

A prudent skipper is attuned to both their boat and the environment. Same as a good leader is attuned with his/her organization as well as external elements. Luckly out on the sea we have weather forecasts but even with today’s technology, storms can still be unpredictable. Just like the business environment. Industry trends, competition, macro economy, technological breakthroughs etc.. some can be predictable but some can catch you off guard.

You must keep an eye on outside elements, notice the wind picking up or clouds forming on the horizon, and prepare before things get out of control. You must use all senses. Wind in your hair, the smell of rain in the air, and most importantly, you must listen to your crew, eyes, and ears, who see and hear what you fail to see or hear.

Preparing for a Storm

One key tactic in sailing is “reefing the sails,” or reducing sail area to minimize wind exposure to make the boat more manageable in strong winds. Even though it is a preventive tactic for strong winds, the golden rule is to reef the sails before conditions worsen. This is because reefing the sails in calmer weather is a straightforward task. In rough weather, however, it can feel like a rescue mission.

The boat rolls in waves, lines and shackles swing wildly, and usually, someone must go forward to the mast. Everyone’s in life vests; harnesses are on, the crew is stressed, the wind is howling, the crew is yelling, and the boat is shaking. The skipper’s job becomes exponentially harder.

A prudent skipper always stays alert, even when things seem calm. They keep a pulse on the boat, the crew, keep an eye on the horizon, and act early. They prepare their crew by communicating what may happen, outlining a plan, and assigning clear roles. They review scenarios of what could go wrong and ensure everyone knows what to do.

Leading Through the Storm

This is the real test of leadership. Depending on your leadership style, this is what makes or breaks you. Remember the three styles of leadership? Let’s assume all three got caught in the same storm.

If you have been paying attention to internal and external signs of an approaching storm and prepping your crew and your equipment for the worst, you are well-positioned to come out of it with nothing but gains.

If you are a reactive and crisis-driven leader and you are somewhat good at it. You may come out from the storm safe, but the stress you put on your crew and equipment will not be forgotten.

And there is the oblivious leader who came out of the storm safely. Perhaps with the help of the experienced crew or the sound ship they were on.

Even though all three came out of the same storm, each crew will have a different story to tell.

One table celebrates the accomplishment, and the other, you can read the horror and tension among the crew members.

Turning the Storm into an Opportunity

Once you’re prepared, the storm becomes a learning opportunity for both the leader and the team. Despite all preparation, challenges will arise. By covering the fundamentals and preparing your team, you keep the challenges manageable, thus creating an environment where the team can tackle them confidently rather than panic. These moments build resilience, and they’re powerful opportunities for team bonding and growth.

After the storm, the sense of accomplishment and camaraderie is palpable. There’s nothing more rewarding than seeing your team come together, high-fiving after overcoming adversity. This is when the team’s trust in you grows—they recognize that you not only saw the challenge coming but also prepared them to face it together.

And what a feeling that is… but it comes with a price.

To get there, you need storms to overcome!

For You, the Leader

And finally, what’s in it for you, the leader? Remember that third ingredient—confidence. By facing storms with your team, you gain confidence in your leadership abilities. You learn from your missteps, hone your instincts, and become a more decisive leader. You don’t need external validation; you know the areas where you succeeded and where you can improve. Better yet, you have proven to your team that you, as a team, can overcome many more storms and opportunities to grow.

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Kivanc Aslaner Owner Skipper Sr Navigator Sailing Vessel Sea Bee