My friend wrote me the other day . . . “I have a boat question for you.” I’m always one to help and weigh in on a topic, especially anything boat or water related.

“Say you’re in the middle of a storm or some major event on the boat. If, as a leader, the leader needs to change the process by which the boat is used to, I am wondering what the Skipper does to get the command out, to get everyone to buy in, and make the change that is needed.”

THIS . . . this type of corollary between sailing, professional life, and personal life is exactly what I love exploring.

I’m sure we’ve all faced such a circumstance — maybe not the pirate scenario my friend made mention of at first — but in some form or another, having to change direction and get the rest of the team to come along.

Communication is key here — first is to inform! Let everyone know. Is everyone on deck and accounted for? Who’s missing? Where’s Steve? (there’s a Steve on every boat). Once the crew is informed of the situation and the change that is needed, it’s important to communicate the reasoning (or “the Why”) for the change and to take a moment to gather feedback from the crew. There may be a simpler, better solution that the Skipper did not think of. There may be a risk or concern the Skipper did not take into consideration. This isn’t the time to deliberate at nauseam, but general feedback loops are a good thing. Finally, a quick roll-call through the crew to ensure they understand and they are bought into the new plan.

Buy-in can take on a few different looks. One does not have to agree with the plan to commit to the plan. When practicing Agile software development, sometimes a team member would “disagree, but commit” – meaning they weren’t in full agreement with the path ahead, but they are on board with moving forward. Someone may not understand the full path of the change in direction, but they trust the Skipper and, therefore, trust the plan and their team to execute it accordingly.

Whether it is a change in the weather, a change in requirements, a change in competing priorities, or being a team member down that creates the need to shift the plan, at the end of the day, remember:

• Communicate the Situation
• Explain the New Plan
• Provide the Reason for the New Plan (the Why)
• Gather Feedback
• Receive Buy-in / Commitment
• Execute the Plan