Lesson 3: when
handing over any task, you have to let go
Dave did not believe in what is now called micro-managing. No matter whether you were an experienced sailor or not, he treated everyone the same. He would give instructions to the person next to him if he needed something done. This led some fair-weather sailors to sit somewhere where Dave couldn't see them. But generally, many found it fun to sail with him because everyone contributed.
I was always puzzled why he'd send total beginners off to do tasks without any apparent worry, since sometimes the results were not good. I wondered why he didn't choose someone more capable. He said that as a captain, he wanted everyone to feel they were a part of the crew. There were no guests on his boat.
If and when things went wrong, he never blamed the person's competency. If a task was not done correctly, it was because his instructions were not good and not the fault of the other person's skills to execute them.
Conclusion: always give clear instructions
Dave did not believe in what is now called micro-managing. No matter whether you were an experienced sailor or not, he treated everyone the same. He would give instructions to the person next to him if he needed something done. This led some fair-weather sailors to sit somewhere where Dave couldn't see them. But generally, many found it fun to sail with him because everyone contributed.
I was always puzzled why he'd send total beginners off to do tasks without any apparent worry, since sometimes the results were not good. I wondered why he didn't choose someone more capable. He said that as a captain, he wanted everyone to feel they were a part of the crew. There were no guests on his boat.
If and when things went wrong, he never blamed the person's competency. If a task was not done correctly, it was because his instructions were not good and not the fault of the other person's skills to execute them.
Conclusion: always give clear instructions
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