Adversity demands Attention.
When a crisis hits, the team rallies, focus narrows, and the objective becomes clear. But when the storm passes, the natural instinct is to exhale. We often view stable periods as a reward for past endurance or a chance to coast.
This instinct creates a strategic vulnerability.
Our research into high-performance environments confirms that resilience is not built during the crisis. It is built in the quiet moments before it arrives.
These insights arise from intensive observations of a high-risk, elite ocean race, involving a highly trained and experienced crew who consented to be filmed and interviewed during and after a demanding multi-day event. This generous crew have helped us all better understand how to sustain peak performance.
The Strategic Advantage of Preparation
The most successful teams understand that resilience isn't built during crises - it's developed during calm periods when teams have time and energy to prepare for future challenges. The research reveals that "smooth sailing" periods, characterised by low external and internal adversity, provide essential opportunities for teams to build the capacity needed for future storms.
During stable phases of their race, the elite yacht crew used calm conditions strategically. Team members appeared relaxed, sitting together, smiling, joking, and looking at each other. The conversation flowed naturally, and crew members were at ease with their relationships. But beneath this apparent relaxation, critical preparation was occurring.
The Preparation Paradox: Teams that appear most relaxed during stable periods are often the most prepared for adversity. The sailing crew used smooth sailing time for equipment checks, plan rehearsal, and skill development. They dedicated energy toward anticipating future adversities rather than simply enjoying the calm.
Research Finding: "Low adversity periods provide time and space for teams to prepare for future challenges" through checking equipment, rehearsing plans, and practicing maneuvers. Teams that invest in preparation during smooth sailing demonstrate superior performance when storms arrive.
Five Critical Preparation Activities
- Relationship Investment: Smooth sailing periods enable teams to strengthen connections through shared experiences, informal interaction, and trust-building activities. Strong relationships become the foundation for navigating future adversity.
- Capability Development: Teams can cross-train members, practice role transitions, and develop backup systems for critical functions. This preparation prevents single points of failure during crisis periods.
- Adversity Mapping: Teams can identify potential external and internal adversities, developing response strategies before pressure hits. Anticipation enables proactive rather than reactive responses.
- Process Refinement: Stable periods allow teams to improve communication systems, decision-making processes, and coordination mechanisms. Refined processes become automatic during high-pressure situations.
- Recovery Planning: Teams can establish individual and collective recovery protocols for when adversity does occur. Recovery planning ensures teams can bounce back quickly from setbacks.
The Complacency Risk: Smooth sailing periods also create potential for complacency. Teams may become overly comfortable, reducing vigilance and preparation activities. The research notes "potential for complacency" as a risk during low adversity periods.
Preventing Complacency:
- Maintain regular adversity scenario planning even during stable periods
- Continue capability development and cross-training activities
- Monitor external environment for emerging threats
- Practice crisis response procedures regularly
- Keep preparation activities engaging rather than routine.
Business Applications: Smooth sailing periods occur in every organisation - stable market conditions, successful product launches, or periods of strong team performance. How teams use these periods determines their readiness for inevitable future challenges.
Maximising Smooth Sailing Value can be achieved when you:
- Conduct relationship audits and invest in connection quality
- Develop cross-functional capabilities and backup systems
- Map potential adversities and create response strategies
- Refine communication and decision-making processes
- Establish recovery protocols for individual and team challenges.
The Strategic Timing: Teams that recognise smooth sailing periods as preparation opportunities gain competitive advantage. Whilst others become complacent, prepared teams build the resilience capacity needed for future success.
Warning Signs of Wasted Smooth Sailing
- Teams becoming complacent during stable periods
- Reduced preparation and training activities
- Assumption that current conditions will continue indefinitely
- Neglect of relationship investment and capability development
- Lack of adversity planning and scenario preparation
The Investment Mindset: View smooth sailing periods as investments in future resilience rather than rewards for past performance. Teams that prepare during calm periods demonstrate superior performance when storms inevitably arrive.
Ready to maximise your team's smooth sailing periods?
The Metta High-Performance People Development Program provides frameworks for using stable periods strategically to build resilience capacity. Contact us to assess your team's preparation activities and develop systematic approaches to building resilience before adversity hits.
Reference
King, E., Branicki, L., Norbury, K., & Badham, R. (2023). Navigating team resilience: A video observation of an elite yacht racing crew. Applied Psychology, 73(1), 240–266. https://doi.org/10.1111/apps.12474
