Team Building, Problem Solving Skills

By Bob Webb

Team education is an extremely powerful learning tool. Three motivated people debating a problem can find powerful solutions regardless of their education background. While debating pros and cons, peer influence motivates participants to become aggressive learners. Aboard tall ships, the “team education” concept is repeated daily.

I was captain of a windjammer training program for teenagers and witnessed the dynamic power of team involvement. All crew members learned to how to sail, how to work together and how to accomplish personal goals. They learn to trust themselves as well as others. When man is challenging the wind and the sea, barriers come down and team involvement soars.

Ocean sailing is an educational opportunity where the curriculum is controlled by nature. The crew and ship must work in harmony with nature. When underway, there is the never-ending task of learning how the interaction of the vessel reacts with fluid dynamics and the atmosphere. The crew becomes comfortable with cause and effect, as well as persistence, endurance, patience, and courage — attitudes that are almost impossible to teach in a classroom.

A tall ship is a disciplinary learning machine. Learning and applying the maritime “rules of the road” are necessary for safety and comfort. Navigation and piloting are important for math and chart reading skills. Crew members must consider options, select a destination, plan how to get there efficiently and safely, and then DO IT? Ocean sailing presents real problems that require real solutions that must be dealt with right away. At sea, the results of the crews’ decisions are experienced NOW! And the reasons for the decision are understood NOW! There is no way to cheat, lie, or take shortcuts. Nature does not allow its laws to be broken. Crew members soon realize that successful decision making skills are based on the laws of nature.

Sailing is an environment that must be operated with both mind and muscle. Some of the tasks such as raising sails require team effort, physically pulling together, whereas other tasks, such as steering the vessel, may only be done by one person at a time, acting alone, yet in harmony with the whole ship. The rules under which these systems function are both simple and demanding. They are not the rules of the teacher, or the school board, or the government, but rather, the rules of nature. Nature’s laws do not create failures. Nature’s laws demand respect and honesty. Team members do not let team mates fail. Teammates also demand respect and honesty.

Life at sea stimulates dreams, which in turn promotes aggressive motivation — man’s natural desire is to survive. With survival instincts activated in a hostile environment, dreams take on a new meaning. Looking out to the edge of the visible world, you can’t help but wonder what life is like in ports below the horizon. Standing for hours at the helm, you can’t help but think of ways to take control of your life. The secret to success is found by using all the mental and physical skills that are experienced under towering sails, starlit nights, and pounding seas. THERE IS A BETTER WAY!

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