I love sailing.

It's always a learning experience.

It's one of the classic "simple to learn how, but incredibly difficult to do well" activities.

Every time I sail I learn something new. I get 1% better.

But I was just thinking about how making a sailboat go fast is also a lot like business.

On a sailboat, sailors don't create the wind or the conditions they face.

Sailors can only head into the wind and trim the sails well to capture and channel the wind.

As the sails capture the wind, the boat gains momentum and moves faster - and that's when something magic can happen. 

The momentum of the boat creates more “apparent wind”, enabling the boat to sail even faster.

Some boats can even sail faster than the true wind.

This is just like business.

You can't always control external conditions or create opportunities, but when your team is all pulling in the same direction, set on aligned goals, and channeling a common vision, the magic happens.

Your team becomes more than the sum of its parts when the "sails" are trimmed right.

Obstacles are more easily overcome and you create more opportunities by virtue of your own momentum.

Channel the wind right and create your own apparent wind. Magic.