When I’m not behind a desk, I try to get out sailing as much as possible. On one sail recently, I had an epiphany: sailing is a lot like running a business.
Both demand laser focus, attention to detail, and forward thinking. You’re constantly working with the forces around you—using the mechanisms available to find balance, harness momentum, and bend environmental conditions in your favor. That’s as true on the water as it is in the office.
I’m often asked how I’m able to accomplish so much in such little time. My answer is always the same: a disciplined approach to efficiency, the ability to manage multiple priorities at once, and maintaining situational awareness as things shift. Athletes often call this being “in the zone.”
Powering a large boat using nothing but your response to wind and current is a perfect analogy. When you find the right point of sail, the wind cooperates, and the sails are trimmed properly, you move with incredible efficiency. But just like business, conditions change.
The key—in sailing and in business—is staying focused on what you can control, while proactively adjusting to what you can’t.