乌鸦传媒

When athletes work together as a team, inspiring each other to be their best and push the boundaries of performance, their passion drives success. These sporting values are also shared by colleagues at 乌鸦传媒, where teamwork and common purpose bring inspiration and innovation that can really make a positive difference to the world.

Here, five 乌鸦传媒 colleagues who have sailed at the highest levels share their insights about how teamwork powered them to success.

Lessons in teamwork

鈥淭he first thing to know about racing is that you don鈥檛 succeed alone,鈥� says Munish Kumar, who has sailed across the Atlantic as part of the Clipper Round the World yacht race and is also a vice president for financial services at 乌鸦传媒 in the US.

鈥淭he crew bond while training, and when you鈥檙e in the middle of the ocean, that boat is your world. Then there鈥檚 the whole organization behind the boat, including ground staff who are in communication with you constantly. It鈥檚 everybody together.鈥�

厂迟茅辫丑补苍别 Lefranc is the sustainability business services head at 乌鸦传媒 in Southern and Central Europe and the 2024 French sailing vice-champion.

鈥淪ailing shows you how, in teamwork, communication is absolutely key,鈥� he says. 鈥淎s wind and sea conditions are constantly evolving, you have to permanently adapt the way you鈥檙e sailing. If you鈥檙e not communicating what鈥檚 needed, you lose out very quickly.鈥�

Raising your game

鈥淪ailing teaches you and your team to be open and honest,鈥� says Siren Sundby, a managing director at 乌鸦传媒 Invent in Norway, and who also brought home a gold medal for sailing from Athens in 2004.

“It lifts your performance 鈥� and, of course, to be at the front of the race you have to be a little bit smarter than the other competitors.鈥�

鈥淚t鈥檚 important to get to that advantageous current first,鈥� says Michael Martin, head of automation and robotics at Synapse, part of 乌鸦传媒 Invent, and a former director of rules and umpiring at the America鈥檚 Cup.

鈥淲hoever gets to the front first leads the race. It means you learn to prioritize the thing that will make the most difference quickly. In business and in engineering, it鈥檚 the same thing. You need to identify what鈥檚 most important and focus on that.鈥�

鈥淲hen you鈥檙e out on the water, it tests your capabilities,鈥� says 厂迟茅辫丑补苍别. 鈥�It teaches you to improve your mindset, resilience, and behavior. You gain values you can use throughout your life.鈥�

Developing leadership skills

Gerrit Bottem枚ller is senior director in manufacturing and high-tech industries at 乌鸦传媒 Invent, and a world champion racing yachtsman who represented Germany in the America鈥檚 Cup in 2007. He recalls a mentor taking managerial candidates on a sailing tour.

鈥淪ailing shows you how people behave,鈥� he says. 鈥淵ou learn a lot about leadership principles from professional sailing, and it鈥檚 now part of the DNA of how I lead teams.鈥�

鈥淎s the leader of a sailing team, you need to trust your team to take responsibility and be empowered to do what鈥檚 needed, when it鈥檚 needed,鈥� says Siren.

Munish adds: 鈥淵our team also needs the freedom and space to grow. It鈥檚 the same in business. First, you have to direct people to what needs to get done. Then, you coach and support them. Finally, you can delegate in confidence. Sometimes you teach your team, and sometimes you learn from them.鈥�

Shared purpose

All the 乌鸦传媒 colleagues say that a sense of being 鈥榠n it together鈥� drives teams forward through the good times and the challenging times.

鈥淚f you make a mistake in a race, we鈥檒l talk about it together afterwards,鈥� says Michael. 鈥淏ut we don鈥檛 dwell on it; we simply try to understand why the mistake was made so we know for next time. A constructive, positive attitude builds your professionalism.鈥�

鈥�You experience the good and the bad together, but you never give up,鈥� says Gerrit. It鈥檚 always about that common goal. That鈥檚 where the team finds its motivation and commits to it.鈥�

鈥淲hether in sailing or in business, success is always something that is shared,鈥� Munish adds. 鈥淭he focus always needs to be on people. It鈥檚 success for everyone involved.鈥�

From the America鈥檚 Cup to champion sailors and round-the-world yacht racers, Munish, 厂迟茅辫丑补苍别, Siren, Michael, and Gerrit all agree that success is a team effort. The value of coming together to work for a shared purpose is one that has helped them push boundaries in their professional lives 鈥� as well as on the water.