Global Challenge : Leadership Lessons from the World’s Toughest Yacht Race
On 29th September 1996, 14 identical yachts left Southampton to participate in ‘The worlds Toughest Yacht Race’ - the BT Global Challenge - a 30,000 mile journey round the world the ‘wrong way’. Each yacht was led by professional skippers but was crewed by teams of volunteers. Many of these had limited sailing experience prior to joining the Global Challenge. This book provides a case study on leadership and team dynamics in the face of an extreme, complex and dynamic environment.
The book charts the team selection process, the extensive training and the progress the teams make as they race against prevailing winds, currents, violent weather whilst coping with equipment failure, cramped conditions and extreme danger. See the attached video clip to get a taste of the challenges.
The BT Global Challenge Yacht Race was run by Sir Chay Blyth’s Challenge business. The Challenge business used analysis and profiling techniques to develop and monitor the leaders’ and their teams’ performances. So, the book not only provides a compelling story describing the extreme conditions that the yachts and teams faced, but also identifies the critical lessons learned on leadership and teamwork. The study goes on to compare the Challenge’s findings with extensive research conducted at Princeton University and the London Business School, to determine the behaviours necessary to produce outstanding performance when faced with a complex and dynamic environment.
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