At the Helm: Business Lessons for Navigating Rough Waters [Hardcover]

Peter Isler (Author), Peter Economy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 18, 2000

"I hate to lose. And what I really hate about it is that it takes exactly the same effort to lose as it does to win. So, if you're going to make that effort, why not make the effort to win?"
--Tom Whidden, three-time America's Cup winner, president of North Marine Group

America's Cup winner Peter Isler shows how the skills and strategies used in professional sailing apply equally well to competition, teamwork, and success in the world of business.

Some of the most prominent and successful CEOs and executives in America are sailors--and with good reason. In both business and sailing, only the best-led, best-trained, most highly motivated teams win. In At the Helm, two-time America's Cup winner Peter Isler translates the secrets of success in the fast-paced world of grand-prix sailboat racing into a series of specific lessons that managers and businesspeople can apply to their day-to-day jobs. In the world of business and sailing, building a successful "team" takes years of planning, training, practice, and cooperation, with an absolute commitment to winning.

Liberally sprinkled with entertaining, insightful, and cautionary stories from the worlds of sailing and business, At the Helm shows why it is essential to be able to change course quickly; how to "stack the deck" in your favor; how to plan for the unexpected. In addition, Peter includes a section on assessing your strengths and weaknesses, and offers suggestions on how to become a better "sailor."

The first book to apply the strategies required for putting together a world-class sailing crew to the world of business, At the Helm is the perfect mix of business and pleasure.



Liberally sprinkled with entertaining, insightful, and cautionary stories from the world of sailing and business, AT THE HELM shows why it is essential to be able to change course quickly, how to "stack the deck" in your favor, and how to plan for the unexpected. In addition, Isler includes a section on assessing strengths and weaknesses, and offers suggestions on how to become a better "sailor."
The first book to apply the strategies required in putting together a world-class sailing crew to the world of business, AT THE HELM is the perfect mix of business and pleasure. -->

Editorial Reviews

Review

"At the Helm takes you beyond the drama of the high seas and into the real-life stories of successful CEOs who are applying the art of sailing to their business practice. You will be inspired."
--Ken Blanchard, coauthor, The One Minute Manager, Raving Fans, and Gung Ho!

What the CEOs Say About Applying Sailing Lessons to Business:

"Sailors often call for a one-minute, or five-minute, delay in responding to changed conditions on the race course. A shift may not last, or a building breeze may drop in velocity. The same is true in business. It's often better to take the time to be sure, or to let your judgment season..."
--George David, chairman and CEO, United Technologies Corporation

"Sometimes the guy on the bow knows more about what's going on up there than you do in the back steering the boat."
--Roy Disney, vice chairman, The Walt Disney Company

"You've got to maneuver constantly to take advantage of the shifting winds--you can't plan on one brute course and expect to win. The biggest lesson for my business is that we've got to change and we've got to be flexible."
--Bill Koch, America's Cup winner, founder and president of Oxbow Corporation

"It pays to let your crew talk to you and to listen to what they have to say..."
--Pete du Pont, former congressman and governor

"In sailboat racing and in business, there's a lot of maneuvering where one boat is trying to stay in front of the other guy...Sometimes you have to take a chance because it's the only way to get past somebody."
--Michael Spence, former dean and Philip H. Knight Professor of Economics, Stanford University's Graduate School of Business

From the Inside Flap

"I hate to lose. And what I really hate about it is that it takes exactly the same effort to lose as it does to win. So, if you're going to make that effort, why not make the effort to win?"
--Tom Whidden, three-time America's Cup winner, president of North Marine Group

America's Cup winner Peter Isler shows how the skills and strategies used in professional sailing apply equally well to competition, teamwork, and success in the world of business.

Some of the most prominent and successful CEOs and executives in America are sailors--and with good reason. In both business and sailing, only the best-led, best-trained, most highly motivated teams win. In At the Helm, two-time America's Cup winner Peter Isler translates the secrets of success in the fast-paced world of grand-prix sailboat racing into a series of specific lessons that managers and businesspeople can apply to their day-to-day jobs. In the world of business and sailing, building a successful "team" takes years of planning, training, practice, and cooperation, with an absolute commitment to winning.

Liberally sprinkled with entertaining, insightful, and cautionary stories from the worlds of sailing and business, At the Helm shows why it is essential to be able to change course quickly; how to "stack the deck" in your favor; how to plan for the unexpected. In addition, Peter includes a section on assessing your strengths and weaknesses, and offers suggestions on how to become a better "sailor."

The first book to apply the strategies required for putting together a world-class sailing crew to the world of business, At the Helm is the perfect mix of business and pleasure.



Liberally sprinkled with entertaining, insightful, and cautionary stories from the world of sailing and business, AT THE HELM shows why it is essential to be able to change course quickly, how to "stack the deck" in your favor, and how to plan for the unexpected. In addition, Isler includes a section on assessing strengths and weaknesses, and offers suggestions on how to become a better "sailor."
The first book to apply the strategies required in putting together a world-class sailing crew to the world of business, AT THE HELM is the perfect mix of business and pleasure. -->

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday Business (January 18, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385497962
• ISBN-13: 978-0385497961
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,554,049 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sailing is analogous with life, April 28, 2000

By 

Guy Brierre - See all my reviews

This review is from: At the Helm: Business Lessons for Navigating Rough Waters (Hardcover)

This book solidifies many beliefs I have had throughout life that sailing prepares one well for all aspects of life, including the business world. Peter has selected a great group of successful businessmen who have great stories to tell. This book will be used as a gift to several of my clients come Christmastime.

As a Star sailor, my favorite story involves Malin Burnham retiring from a race for hitting a mark even though no one else witnessed the event. It cost him the Star World Championship, yet he never thought twice about doing it any other way. This is a great example of an era when ethics and a man's word was everything. We can only hope that it may become that way once again.

Thanks, Peter for a very good book.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The real deal!, January 24, 2000

By 

Roger Callaway (Washington DC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: At the Helm: Business Lessons for Navigating Rough Waters (Hardcover)

I simply loved reading this book. Too many books on leadership and management seem to be full of made up stories with little or no relevance to the real world, or they are just downright boring. That is definitely not the case with this book! Not only is the advice real, but it's exceptionally useful to real businesspeople in real businesses, and it's fun to read.

And while the business content is first rate, I really loved reading Isler's exciting stories about sailboat racing. It's just like you're there on the water sailing with him -- wind in your hair and salt spray in your face! If you've been following the America's Cup on TV, you know that these guys and gals know all about leadership and team work -- in a BIG way.

Kudos to the authors for a fresh take on an old (and often stale) subject!

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Awesome read, February 8, 2000

By 

Drew Freides - See all my reviews

This review is from: At the Helm: Business Lessons for Navigating Rough Waters (Hardcover)

This book has some incredible lessons to be learned. Yes, I am briefly interviewed in the book, but the rest of the book is the good part. Very well written with some great excerpts from some of the most effective CEOs and executes in the US. Also has some great anecdotes from Peter's America's Cup experiences. Definitely worth reading. Can improve both your racing and the way you run your business. Both enjoyable and extremely useful.