Home Specials Ocean Action Learning

Ocean Action Learning

Management Sail Training
for Large Groups & Small Teams

Sustainable Learning through Joint Action On Board

Ocean Action Learning is a highly efficient method of learning which takes place on sail training vessels.

Being a part of a sailing team on the open water requires intentional action in every second so that the crew can reach its destination safely and efficiently. Sometimes only a few will take action. At other times, all will pitch in.

It takes many years of adult education experience to transform this onboard challenge into a learning process for managers.

As the waves roll, corporate functionaries become courageous heroes. They keep their eye on the big picture, make split-second decisions in a crisis, and motivate their team members to do their best.
We will show you real-life examples of how to transfer your experiences at sea to your business. High seas methods are steeped in tradition, but are complemented by the latest motivation and neurological research findings. Ocean Action Learning uses a unique combination of methods to take team work to the next level to achieve amazing results in your employees‘ personal development. When management trainees are open to change, they have a fantastic opportunity to begin their journey of
personal development by mastering the challenging, foreign environment onboard.
And this will significantly increase their effectiveness as leaders.

Our onboard training sessions are investments in your company‘s most valuable resource: your management team!

Life on Board Mirrors Life in the Business World

Learning and adapting are triggered by systemic challenges requiring immediate action. Being a part of the crew on the high seas offers diverse opportunities for every skill level and grade of challenge: from peeling potatoes to climbing the rigging, from cleaning toilets to the skipper‘s decision to save lives. These onboard challenges are surprisingly easy to transfer to the everyday world of business.

Permanently on board decisions are made.

It can be practiced, how it feels to make decisions. First you‘ve got to be aware what a decision is! Often people just do something without even being aware that there were alternatives. Not everyone is able to see the alternative possibilities present in a situation. Decisions made are therefore not recognized as such.
Three mistakes in a row lead to life-threatening situations. That‘s what sailors have been saying for years. To avoid this situation, it is important to know the respective decision points, actions and consequences accurately. Permanent decisions are made in business, too, but all too often without knowing it. Also here the linking of more than three wrong decisions is existentially threatening.

The service, which must be provided for the on duty crew, is a tall order.

The function of the service is often overlooked in its importance. Especially executives who have to work on board in a service function often have great difficulty with the necessary humility and attentiveness. The understanding of „leadership as a service“ corresponds to modern, self organizing systems, but it‘s hardly rooted in what was traditionally considered leadership. Some of the greatest self-revelations onboard come for those assigned to lesser support roles.

The importance of receiving good and friendly service during a long night on watch duty can‘t be understood until you have the experience in real life. This experience has a lasting impact.

Being Constantly Watchful is a Permanent Stress For the Crew on Duty

Responsibility for constant vigilance, even in monotonous situations, overwhelms many people at first. The experience of seeing collisions far away on the horizon, a storm gathering to hit the next day, or dodging a barely visible container bobbing in the water all require the same survival skills as in the business world.

To survive in business, you have to know how to avoid legal risks on a daily basis, predict long-term market trends, or man the battle stations when competition heats up.

The longer you‘re on water, the better you‘ll become at being vigilant and relaxed at the same time.

Action Just in Time Can Save Lives.

There‘s an old saying: If you‘re wondering whether to pull the sails in, you should have already done it!
There are paranoid people who always seem to think of worst-case scenarios, but don‘t act on them. They‘re just waiting for the ax to fall so that they can relinquish responsibility and say „I told you so!“
These people learn to deal with their fears onboard and actually begin to  use their real intuition.

Real intuition is not constant talk about battening down the hatches; rather it is having the freedom to enjoy sailing under full sail in a beautiful breeze without constantly thinking about capsizing.

Unusual, new sensations place mental and emotional demands.

In business, we often shield ourselves from being bombarded by too much.
Onboard it‘s all new. The most important thing to do first is to learn how to assess one‘s impressions, such as whether fear is the correct response when a squall crashes into the ship.

The same things are experienced by managers trying to expand their business in unfamiliar cultures. Very little about life in China matches what life is like for the average German. On board, you learn to take on new and unusual experiences and expand your ability to cope with them.

Radical changes to implement sustainable

By Ocean Action Learning in maritime environment, the cooperation of the team and individual development is promoted widely and positive.

We can transport the results and initiated processes sustainably in your everyday business.