Team Spirit

Life and Leadership on One of the World's Toughest Yacht Races

By: Brendan Hall, Sir Robin Knox-Johnston

Narrated by: Stephen Pilkington

Length: 8 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's Summary

Team Spirit is a gripping account of a race on the edge, and a young skipper's determined journey to victory. The Clipper Round the World Yacht Race is the ultimate long distance challenge - a 35,000-mile circumnavigation of the globe, contested by amateur crews in identical racing yachts - and the winners are those who keep their focus the longest.

The 2010 winner was 28-year-old Brendan Hall and his crew in Spirit of Australia. Although Brendan was the youngest and least experienced skipper in the race, the win was no accident - it was the culmination of years of training, skilled navigation and a leadership style way beyond his years.

©2012, 2013 Brendan Hall (P)2014 Audible Inc.

How to lead for fun and winning

You don't need to be a sailor to appreciate the challenge a leader has to balance of fun of a competition with the desire to win. Sailboat skippers and crew will find this a 5 while others can appreciate the stress of being in charge. Brendan Hall sailed in Clipper - Round the World Yacht race and based on that felt the calling to not only be a skipper but try to win a future race. This book is how he became a skipper, planned, and then led one of only nine identical boats on a round the world race.
What I thought really comes through is what to do when people sign up, and pay, to be a part of an adventure that includes a competitive aspect. Not everyone can take 10 months to sail around the world, and the experience was varied, the crews assigned by the race organizers. But while some want to experience a once-in-a-lifetime test of themselves, others want to wind win big. Brendan explains his approach and logic not just to planning but to that balance and also how to adapt and adjust mid-race.
A wonderful recounting of what he went through and as I mentioned above, you need not have sailed to appreciate the story, effort, and challenge, but if you have ... you can see, feel, and admire their journey.

I have listened to this for a second time and ...

have purchased the book and ...
have been writing in the margins and ....
find this all so exciting.

There is so much in this to chew on, for me, anyway.

I wonder if I will apply. And then I wonder for how long.

Steven pilkington did a great job. The story and the theme of leadership was right on, at least for me.

I suspect the only way this could get better for me is to try it myself. All parts of life including an abundance of challenge.

engaging and thoughtful

loved it! highly recommend! easy to listen to and good leadership points I will remember!

Good story but repetitive

I’m only about half way through but although it is a good story, already I’m annoyed with the repetitiveness about leadership and team building. The author brings up the same points over and over and spends too much time espousing his own leadership skills. Don’t get me wrong, it is engaging and exciting, but less repetition and more sailing details would make this a so much better read. The narrator does not know how to pronounce several nautical words or terms, but other than that, a great performance.

Excellent story, epic feats by regular people led by an extraordinary leader

This is a must read/listen for any leader.
This performance and story were excellent, I did not want it to end.
The lessons he learned in 10 months took me 10 years.
Bravo to everyone who made this possible

GREAT BOOK!

fantastic book on sailing and leadership. I have listened to it several times. I have to add words to post this review.

A very worthwhile listen!

The narrator was great. it was a very worthwhile listen, especially if you are a sailor.

Fabulous

I've never been on racing yacht and possibly never well ( who knows) and I found this story utterly fascinating. An adventure of mind blowing proportions, a tale of leadership and skill.

Perseverance, preparation & understanding people

I have never sailed in a yacht. I downloaded this with curiosity as it got good reviews. I have long been interested in how people get through difficult times and observed how groups work & have had plenty of testing times myself. Whilst ostensibly about leadership, for those of us who lead from behind or are perhaps fearful of leadership it is still an interesting listen & reminds us what planning for the worst, systems & training can do & about devolving responsibility - would work even in a home setting. It gives me hope that whatever life throws one can get through.....

Great advice when you don't get to pick the team

I wasn't sure about this book when downloading it but I love sailing and leadership, so I gave it a shot. I was very impressed how he managed to bring together such a wide range of leadership topics built around his around the world race story. Every interesting and engaging. I'd highly recommend this if you manage teams or are about to manage a team you didn't get to choose.

Great book

Really enjoyed the listen. The person narrating could have done with knowing a bit more about words and phrases for example that a bowman is different to a bow man and an EPIRB is pronounced EPIRB and no need to say E.P.I.R.B. every time. However great listen and would highly recommend

Inspiring

An authentic account of a great adventure mixed with a great insight into leadership stratergies.

Why did Brendan Hall not narrate this himself?

Very strange in such a personal story to have someone else narrate it, hamming up all the “dramatic” bits. At its heart there’s a dramatic story in here, but it ends up sounding like an airport management book. Shame!

Too much leadership?

As a keen sailor and professional aviator I have no doubt leadership is key! Having said that this turned into a very successful skipper’s guide to leadership and management. Lacked a crews view and experience of the Clipper Race.

Worth a listen just bare this in mind.

disingenuous

Had I know that this author was a disciple of Dale Carnegie's "How to Lose Friends and Manipulate People", I would immediately have steered clear of this book. The author goes on to say that a leader needs to develop his own authentic style, to then spout endless quotes from famous people. Nothing authentic about that either (like those who follow the Carnegie approach to human relationships). I did manage to finish the book, as the relay of the actual sailing is brilliant.

Very Interesting

Absolutely fascinating story which was well read by the narrator. Story of highs and lows of a personnel and a group journey through some of the toughest seas on the planet.

Loved it!

A fascinating story of courage and adventure. I found it incredibly inspiring. seeing how he built his team from the planning stage to seeing it all coming to fruition was truly interesting.