by Grant Hawthorne

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Humphrey said that even the skipper of their boat - a highly experienced navy veteran - acknowledged the ruthlessness of the situation: "never in my life have I seen anything so hostile or with such awesome power. It was trying to kill me and it surrounded me every minute. I am convinced that there will never be a problem so severe in real life that will compare to surviving in the southern Indian Ocean".

Humphrey drew direct parallels between his experience on the Global Challenge and the everyday happenings in modern business: where company survival depends on inspired, sound leadership, personal motivation and quality teamwork. The yachts could be seen to represent competitive organisations, the crew were the employees and the unpredictable oceans were the complex environment in which they operate.

Back on dry land Humphrey has assimilated his experience into MAST his international Management And Skills Training consultancy. The key lesson that the race taught him was in teamwork - assembling, running and maintaining the right team. He also found that it was crucial to know how to behave within a team - that such niceties as punctuality, courtesy and knowing how to apologize can make all the difference.

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