Mission refreshes its experiences on a regular basis. These form the basis for our inspirational stories and delivery.

What happens to an old challenge yacht when it has finished the racing?

Challenge Business #33 raced around the Globe with her ‘amateur’ crew in 1996, she was built along with the entire Challenge fleet in Devonport (two of the later 72ft yachts were fabricated in China). Since the race, all have been involved in extensive corporate, charters and other races, however nothing to compare with the race.

 Following the selling off of the fleet a number of the Global Challenge yachts have been bought for high latitude charters, Greenland, Iceland, Cape Horn, Antarctica, the growing expedition market has been driven by new tourist market seeking high latitude adventure.

 High altitude sailing: 

Challenge Business #33 now Jonathan IV was purchased by Mark Van de Weg a well experienced high latitude skipper in mid-2008 from her previous owner for whom I worked. He immediately hit upon the idea of converting her to a deck-saloon configuration. The plan then was where, having run his own boat yard and built two of his previous ‘Jonathan’ yachts including his current charter yacht that he has wintered on in northern Spitsbergen Mark certainly knew what he wanted and how it should be done.

 The location was not important however finding a yard that would be cost effective, competent and flexible was. Gdansk was visited by Mark with two Polish friends, Mirek a businessman based in the Polish capital and former charter guest, and Wortek a Polish friend working his summers in Svalbard as a scientist. The Spider yard was selected, the deal was struck, quicker than the yard expected and having spent a summer ashore in Cowes, Jonathan IV was relaunched with her new fixed propeller on backwards and headed east. Fortunately the throttle could be adjusted, and the gearbox can run in either direction … did not have reverse through the Kiel canal!

The refit then involved installing two water tight bulkheads, cutting out the forward cockpit above the existing saloon/ galley and extending the coach roof aft. Many challenges had to be overcome, not least of which was communication, though this was a small price for a cheery, hard working and skilled work force who worked 0700 - 1800 for four months to get the job done on time (well almost) on budget (not quite) but for 54 Zylotys (14Euro) an hour.

The deck box was converted to chain locker, a simple but practical solution a case of waste not want not that was ever present in the Poles work ethic. The saloon floor was lowered by 10cm … at 6′5″ there is not much point in spending a large sum of money on a yacht, cutting it open and spending aload more if at the end of it,  you cannot stand up straight in your own saloon! The generator was remounted, with an additional alternator. The original companion way steps were lengthened and reinstalled following the refit. The galley was given a simple but effective facelift by re-framing all the cupboard doors. The bunks were relaced with mattresses mounted on ply board with leeboards outboard and lee cloths inboard. The Saloon table was configured to provide walk through access with a simple lever hindge system. The bilge pump was remounted in the cockpit with non-return valves to make priming far easier. The anchor chain was extended to 150m … then rejected when it was found that the links were 2mm too big and jammed on the windlass. The forestay was removed (by me)  and shortened with a stainless steel section inserted below the furling drum to allow greater clearance for the anchor shaft. The list goes on … however the essence was converting her from a below decks aft saloon yacht to a deck saloon in which guests and crew can relax and soak up the beauty of the arctic.

Clive’s role:

In Jan I was out there to assist with getting the boat coded, the galley was half built, the sails were off, a tent was over the boom, there was solid ice on deck, it was seldom above freezing, oh and the boat was surrounded by a solid sheet of ice. This was new territory for me however the forestay still needed shortening and the Medical survey items needed checking the surveyor was visiting in a week and we were to be leaving in three - it seemed wholly unlikely.

I was back two weeks later … progress had been made, the galley was nearly built, some sails were on, the tent was about to be removed, there was only ice around the boat on the cold days. And I no longer needed to go aloft, Mark had recruited a 5ft blonde Polish rigger who wore a fur hat on cold days, unlike any rigger I have ever met!

 It’s tough at the top of the world: 

 Departure, generator not working, hoses blowing off the engine, heaters cutting out … freezing on deck, cold below … a sail ripping. Winter in the Baltic was bleak. However as we headed north with a pit stop in Helsingor the weather improved …  we were becalmed and motored on for days to Bergen.

Into the Arctic Circle … Bergen to Bodo, the forecast was not good, is it ever off the west coast of Norway in Feb? We had gales most of the way, however they were behind the beam, most systems were working, most importantly the heaters! Spirits were high we were out there with the fishermen, supply boats and nature … no adventure tourists, not until March in Tromso and we had to be there. Arrived Bodo inside the Arctic Circle had to smash 30cm of ice off pontoon, fortunately we were being blown on. The locals think nothing of it … the marina was full, honestly nearly every berth!

I returned in March, this time to skipper three weeks of ski charters. We left weekly on a Sunday morning out of Tromso heading out into the remote Fjords to the north-east returning with tired but satisfied skiers on Fridays. The scenery was stunning, wildlife sparce but worth waiting for, seals and orcas but mainly hardy sea birds surviving in the frozen climate. The photos attached speak for themselves … I plan to be back!

Awoke to find the cabin buried in snow, at least 3 metres high. The wind blowing a keen 50 mph lowered the temp to -30.

We picked up from the previous day with a teach back of the main MVS’s and then we went onto talk about conflict in teams. How to prevent and manage conflict when it occurs. We went through the dynamic triangle which brought to life conflict sequences for the group. We started but did not finish the most productive responses exercises as my snow plough lift to Haugostol arrived. I jumped on and sped through 10 foot drifts to the station, where I was dropped off 4 hours early. Faced with the prospect of sharing a hut with some Norwegian campers (Wiffy) I decided to hitch to Geilo. From there I caught 2 trains and a plane and jumped in the car to arrive home at 0130.

Felicity the expedition leader was pleased:

“…..I can’t tell you how beneficial it has been. We finished the final task which then led on to a general discussion and everyone agreed that the sessions with you had accelerated the team bonding process and that we all felt that we understood what we had seen of each other a little more and that we felt more confident moving forward as a group.

I personally found the system fascinating and would love to do more. Several members of the team would like to make a list of things that drive them to conflict etc which I think might be the sort of thing covered by the ‘dashboard’ you mentioned?

I also have to mention that the guys not in on the sessions have since been spotted placing themselves on the triangle and discussing their blue-ness or green-ness. As you predicted red, green, blue and hub behaviour are terms that are already being used by all.

Thanks again Rob and I hope that we get a chance soon to talk further about an association between Mission and the expedition”

Wednesday 04 March

Awoke to a gale and snow up to the window tops. A relaxed morning writing emails and preparing for the team session.

I was to follow Justin a nutritionist, who covered the latest advice on eating the right foods for the expedition and the level/type of physical and mental preparation required for 60 days down south.I was reminded of our nutrition when we won the Polar Challenge in 2004, fuelled on Curly Wurlys and Pink Shrimps; we lost 30% of our body weight.

The session covered Mission’s model of high performance teamwork. Focusing exclusively on the Culture of the team. This was achieved with the help of the SDI. We covered the SDI curriculum up to conflict. The team were predominantly blue green in make up and had the makings of strong and solidly cohesive team. Borrowing red and green behaviours and defining the performance parameters would be their challenge moving forward.

Meanwhile the storm had been blowing a constant Beaufort 7-8 all day confining all to the Hyter. We were to spend the evening spinning dits ahead of the last session the following day.

Mission offered to support the commonwealth ladies expedition set to walk unsupported to the South Pole this Christmas. Mission trained the Pink Lady Pole cats in 2005 for the second Polar challenge and Felicity Aston was part of that team. She is the leader of this expedition to the South Pole.
The commonwealth ladies expedition (as detailed on the web site) aims to be the first all female team from the commonwealth to haul themselves unsupported to the pole.
The team of 16 have been flown to Norway for their first training programme. They have come from Jamaica, Ghana, Singapore, India, New Zealand and the UK. Some have never seen snow before. Their first week in Norway was the selection week. 16 would soon become 8.

Mission offered to support the development of the team in this second week. Sponsored by Personal Strengths who supplied the SDI instrument, I would start the ball rolling with an 8 hour session on how to become more effective as one team. Developing anawareness of motivational diversity within the team will help them prevent conflict and to become better communicators.One of the main reasons why teams fail is their of lack of confidence to challenge and to be authentic with their colleagues. To genuinely operate in an interdependent fashion demands that its individuals put their needs behind those of the team. For individuals to act in a selfless way takes time to achieve. The sooner a team can get to this stage the quicker teams perform to their potential.That was to form the focus for my session. What follows is an account of my journey to help the team get there.
Monday 02 March: Managed to get away and board the flight in time arriving in Oslo for 2100 hrs. Thereafter I was stung for a £10 bus fare. Yes its true what they say, it is expensive in Norway and I hadn’t drunk anything yet. Arriving at the plush Thon hotel in a retail park next to a garden centre 10 miles outside of Oslo I checked in and went in search of that beer. Directed to walk 400 metres through 8 foot snow drifts to a very nice restaurant. I arrived and it was very nice with very nice prices too.

I walked on by and found the chicken premiere with fries to be a worthy alternative.I got my head down soon after.Tuesday 03 March. Awoke to a hearty breakfast of boiled eggs and roll mop herrings, uhmm nice. Boarded that expensive bus again and made my way to the train station. Wearing a flat cap and sporting 3 days growth (given up shaving for lent) I boarded the train and headed for Haugostol some 5 hours north.Trains are nicer in Norway. They are clean and serve hot dogs that look appetising and decent coffee. I was in heaven as the snow covered banks flicked past me. 300 Kroner later I got off and met Pete, Felicity’s other half and loyal supporter. We drove 45 mins along the E7 to Bergen to arrive at an isolated settlement of 3 huts. Glorious sunshine, the first in days (was this a good omen?) and I borrowed some skis for a quick tour of valley. I saw the team ski in from their 3 day mini expedition, looking very tired and moving at a snails pace. Some engineered PR shots later and they convened for shepherd’s pie later that evening. A lively group they relived their previous 3 days and went to bed content. Meanwhile I chatted through Felcity’s expectation for my session before turning in.

Mission are delighted to be supporting the Commonwealth Women’s Antarctic Expedition; women from around the World uniting to achieve the extraordinary.

The complex and diverse team is made up of eight women from eight Commonwealth countries with one aim; to navigate themselves to the bottom of the World.

Representing 5 continents, 6 global faiths and 7 World languages, the expedition team is a diverse group - some of whom had never seen snow before joining the expedition team. Unguided, they will need to rely on each other and come together to tackle the immense challenges, both mental and physical, of Antarctica.

Although some team members will be the first person from their nation to ski to the South Pole and others will be the first women from their nation to make this journey, the expedition is about much more than national and global records. The women will return to their home countries as role models to inspire others, particularly women, to reach beyond the expectation of others and follow their own path - the underlying values of Mission Performance.

We will be keeping you updated on their progress through both our website news page
http://www.missionperformance.com/Latest_News.html and here on the blog.

Alternatively for further information on the expedition and the team please visit their website:
http://www.commonwealthexpedition.com/  

Having just read that during the course of my recent work with Mission I have travelled to three of the top twenty ‘Most dangerous places in the world’*, it was with some trepidation that I set out on my latest mission!  Fortunately, as has been the case in all of my experiences with Schlumberger they, the course delegates that my colleague PJ and I trained, were friendly, welcoming and we never felt threatened!  Similarly the locals we met in Houston were welcoming, especially the man in the hotel restaurant who mistook us for colleagues… sorry, we should have let you know sooner.

Joking aside, the buzz of travelling to the delta region of Nigeria, experiencing Mexico City and delivering in the shadow of Table Mountain has been a privilege - I would happily go back (where FCO policy allows!).  That kind of diversity along with the unique leadership angle that Mission brings to their training provides an unforgettable learning experience for all; from experienced managers, new graduates, directors and even for us!

I always learn something from the courses that I deliver.  As one of our colleagues says “Stop learning, stop breathing”.  In Houston I learnt about Seagull Managers… They dive in, flap their wings, jump up and down, make a lot of noise and leave crap everywhere.  It illustrates a point, not something to emulate but we know who they are.

In Houston on the 1st December we delivered our Leadership toolbox programme to a group of Schlumberger DCS employees.  It is a great programme, well received and seems to keep hitting the nail on the head with regards to a need.  Often and rightly, employees have developed technical skills progress through hard work, tenacity and good performance to become, managers and leaders and find themselves in a new arena, dealing with people without the necessary soft skills.

Mission can help.  Not everyone has the natural soft skills to provide that vital spark to take them from purely a manager to a truly inspirational leader.  Not just administering the culture but striving to provide vision, inspiration and performance… which at the end of the day, whatever market sector you are in is the bottom line!

PJ and I know little of Houston as we left speedily immediately afterwards in a ‘Town Car’, whizzing through the rush-hour traffic for the George Bush airport; possibly in the very same vehicle he used when he (presumably) named that gateway to Texas.  However, we left our mark on the delegates, made a difference and will be back to deliver again, wherever in the world the need is and whenever the opportunity arises… and we too will learn.

* Daily Telegraph website 29th November 2008
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/3534072/In-pictures-worlds-most-dangerous-places.html

Clive Cosby

Report on 2008

This year has been busy.  We have delivered in almost every continent of the world for a range of international clients.  We delivered two CSR programmes in Africa and India which have yielded some superb ‘real investment’ returns within the local communities, in addition to providing some of our corporate clients with some very powerful and engaging learning through our wining ‘hearts and minds’ methodology.

We have worked with the oldest law firm in the world and have managed to influence small changes in their culture, which will underpin their efforts to meet the challenges of a younger workforce and the changing nature of their markets. 

We have travelled to the Russian steppes to deliver on the edge of civilisation.  Working in Northern Siberia we engaged project teams to strengthen their team cohesion and performance viability; a programme that has now become the gold standard of project team development within the company.

Our online capability has been enhanced with the launch of www.mission-learning.com which as of October 2009 has 250 delegates enrolled on it.  Pre-programme assignments and logistics can now all be delivered to your inboxes as well as comprehensive programme support and follow up.

We have accredited all of our Mission team to administer the MBTI and have facilitated their accreditation to a master level with the Strength Deployment Inventory (SDI).

Having pioneered the development of the SDI communications guide and the use of the SDI online service Mission continues to push the boundaries of content design and delivery.  Moving beyond psychometric tools as primarily aids to self awareness, we have pioneered their use to really develop team cohesion and viability, leadership performance and relationship capital.

We have continued to deliver two large multinational graduate induction programmes to a global investment bank.  The bank was awarded first prize for global graduate development programmes in the International Graduate Development Awards for 2007, beating a host of other international companies.

We have also been engaged by a very large telecommunications company to run their ‘Talent’ programme and by an international oil servicing company to assess and then develop their international sales force.  In addition, we have been selected to deliver our ‘Team Effectiveness’ portfolio across 47 countries around the world for a large international bank.

These are all very exciting programmes that will begin in the first quarter next year.

We have established partner relationships with organisations in Singapore and Australia to project Mission’s services into the Asian markets.  Following the excellent feedback received for our delivery on the Top Management Programme (TMP) for senior Abu Dhabi civil servants we have been invited to work with additional teams in the region.

We have established relationships with new associates; Kenton Cool and Matt McFadyen, both exceptional characters who have led some very challenging expeditions that will augment the bank of existing Mission experiences.

We look forward to 2009.  Whilst the storm clouds mass, Mission is set to take it on.

If you are keen to learn more about mission and its expanding services then please call the office and arrange an appointment with either Rob or Chris; Tel. +44 (0) 1329 841652

It is imperative that a Leadership 360 report provides feedback in a format that maps directly onto competence. If the aim is to highlight areas for self-development then the survey must link to a development programme that can address the gaps.

Mission has been using Professor John’s Hunt’s (London Business School) company for the last 5 years to provide and administer its leadership 360 degree reports.

(Professor John Hunt is recognised as the father of the leadership 360 in Europe)

However, it is not enough just to have the right survey. As important is the support provided to ensure the feedback translates into meaningful actions.

In addition a clear development programme that enables people with different needs to select the modules they require to develop within their leadership roles.

Working with our leadership 360 reports our clients are able to link behavioural feedback into specific actions.

They are all re-surveyed within a 6 month time frame to measure the change in behaviour.

After all feedback is the single most important thing in changing behaviour; much better then to formalise it and make it central to any organisational development programme.

We are currently delivering a leadership 360 feedback to large group of executives as part of a large organisational change programme. The feedback has been excellent thus far.

How much time did you spend listening in your last conference call? Could you hear others typing whilst the call was in progress? Was the meeting summarised into actionable points to be gripped by specific team members?

The chances are that you are not engaged to nearly the degree you should be and that the audio meetings you are part of are far from productive.

Global teams or national teams with regional briefs often communicate primarily on the phone or through email supplemented with monthly ‘off-sites’

How much time do you spend before each meeting to prepare? Do you listen in to the points that are relevant to your brief and switch off as the conversation moves to related issues that you are not responsible and accountable for?

If the answer is yes then you are not alone.

Mission believes that team effectiveness is all about accurate communication.

So here’s some more questions:

When is the last time you considered the words you used in an email? Were you aware that you may have been using negative language to express something positive? Using vague and non-precise terms to express something that needed to be very precise and explicit?

Mission is working with teams to improve the quality of communication at the micro level.

When you are unable to speak face to face you need to ensure that all other communication is as good as it can be.

Take time to analyse your last 5 emails. You may notice a style (we all have one) that will probably be linked to your core motivations and preferences.

Were you aware of your own bias that may skew your communication?

Are you attuned to the language people use?

If so, do your tailor your style to match theirs?

These and other questions are all answered on Missions team effectiveness programmes that are being delivered to some of the largest organisations in the world.

Missions Leading Self and Othersã curriculum covers all aspects of team communication including the written word.

Our module entitled “Language as a behaviour” analyses your personal literary style and provides feedback to refine it to achieve greater clarity and understanding.

Going that extra mile for your customers has never been more important given the impending doom forecast by the cognoscenti.  Switch on the radio and you might as well give up and ride out the storm, sit it out until 2010 and be ready for the next upturn.  This has self-fulfilling prophecy written all over it.

I believe that you can turn this downturn to your advantage.  Identifying the critical aspects of your operation, aligning them to the needs of your customers and resourcing them effectively will enable you to exploit these desperate times.  Your competitors might be about to curl up for the economic winter but you do not have to.

Working with one of our clients we are helping them to identify the critical aspects of their customer service operations nationally and then helping them to address them proactively.

Using Mission’s model of high performance teamwork, the Strength Deployment Inventory (SDI) and the Mission Leadership curriculum we have enabled a national network of customer service managers to identify their mission critical tasks and their mission critical behaviours to support their delivery.

The programme has been delivered in a 2 month time frame.

Phase 1 - Began with design and consultation meetings between the senior team using Mission’s business engagement and diagnostic process.  This helped us to define the need and identify the organisational factors that would shape the solution.  This phase included engaging the whole network of customer service managers via Mission’s online learning site (www.mission-learning.com).  Each manager completed a proforma which asked them to identify their key challenges and opportunities pertinent to their area of operation.  This included the nature of the customer and all of the stakeholders that influence the quality of service provided to them.  Once complete Mission produced an aggregate report and used this to form the specific content to be delivered in phase 2.

Phase 2 - The top team.  Mission delivered a two day programme designed to prepare the team for the national roll out.  Coaching in style, it walked the team through all of the modules to be delivered to the national customers’ service teams.  These workshops used the SDI to identify the critical behavioural skills  required to influence without authority.  Once complete we analysed the clarity of the teams’ mission and core purpose and discussed it using the Mission’s leadership curriculum.  This led to a reassessment of some of the key aspects of their brief.

Combining this with relationship management skills would enable the team to address the core challenges of raising their Customer Service Satisfaction (CSS) statistics.

Phase 3 - 9×2 day workshops, supported with online content and programme forums began soon after the work conducted with the senior management teams was completed.  Using the same format we walked the regional teams through the same material to help them address the critical aspects of their brief that would support the CSS objectives.  For some this meant a fundamental reappraisal of their efforts and behaviours.

Phase 4 - Brought the whole team back together for a plenary session following the national roll out.  Key regional differences were discussed and plans were drawn up to focus the collective efforts to drive up the CSS.  Specific individual actions were identified to allow a review of the progress against the plan.

Results thus far have been excellent.  Team and customer engagement scores have increased significantly.

Lessons: