The Knowledge Dump

The Knowledge Dump

Originally posted on Sailgroove.org on April 14, 2009, 2:01pm

     This will be the first in a series of articles about team development and while the focus is on college teams the advice can serve just about any racing program. 

The Problem:

     What kills club sailing teams, or at least keeps them from progressing? You could throw out a litany of things that answer this question; no coaching, no money, no equipment, lack of talent, lack of University or YC support, etc. But none of the things I just listed, or any of the others you may be throwing out there probably get to the heart of the issue.

     The same can be said about individual boats or parent run YC junior programs. What keeps them from getting better, from moving up the leader board or progressing beyond the club or state level? The answer is what I call the knowledge dump, and it's a problem specific to club or amateur/volunteer run programs (and I would bet some of our Olympic hopefuls experience a similar problem). 

     Varsity teams (which I define as having a full time paid coach) get around this problem because of the continuity and knowledge base the permanent coach provides as well as the professional atmosphere and University oversight that comes with having a paid director. Club programs, and by my definition their leadership, are transient. There is usually little continuity from year to year, there is no one constantly carrying the torch and providing direction in the long term (the knowledge). Clubs must constantly be training the next generation or relearning lessons that were not passed on to the current leadership (the dump).

     Take a second and think about the investment of resources that process involves. How much trial and error it could take for a group of young adults to figure out what works for their team and them pass all that knowledge on. The overwhelming odds are that not all of it will be transferred, some detail will be lost and that will have to be relearned by the next generation, usually by doing it wrong the first time. All the while they could be, should be, focusing on getting better, improving what they have, and growing their program.

     The dead-weight loss of going through this process at least every semester or year is only compounded by inconsistency in quality of leadership, the personalities of those involved, and what other distractions the team may have. It doesn't even have to be that complicated, consolidated knowledge and leadership in any small group is dangerous. If that leader leaves abruptly, for whatever reason, the rest of the group is sunk.

     Ultimately I think the situation is insurmountable, and that's why we see a kind of glass ceiling for most club programs (college or YC). Those that have managed to break through, have gone beyond the definition of a "club" as we use it here. Or if they achieve success, its short lived, and doesn't last beyond one generation.

     Think of this same process when applied to individual sailing programs and YC junior fleets. Everything is trial and error and it can take months (or years) and all the time and money that involves to even get a handle on what works and what you should do to really step up your game. In the aggregate, whole generations of teams can be lost, wandering the wilderness of mediocrity, doing their best, but limited by circumstance.

There has to be a better way.

     I've become convinced that this issue of transferring knowledge doesn't have to be the daunting problem for club programs that it is. The knowledge is out there, but the process, the details of how best to do everything and pass it on has never been properly worked out. It's also hard to create a substitute for the long term continuity that a coach provides, but we can get part of the way there. So to get started here are the different areas of your program that need to be in place:

• Basic Administration & Leadership: This keeps all the others in line and makes sure things are getting done. Talking about projects is one thing, execution and follow up is what creates success.
• Practice/Regatta Organization: Organizes practices, runs races & drills, decides pairings, and who sails at events.
• Recruitment/Membership: Constant membership growth and recruitment is paramount. Ugly (non PC) truth: Women are better at recruitment than men, have your girls do your recruiting. Every school has something to offer, just because you are not a big school or program doesnt mean you can't get good sailors. 
• Alumni Support: Cultivating a supportive alumni base is a huge asset, not just for money but for knowledge and to provide the continuity that I described earlier. If you dont have an alumni base, start building it with this years seniors.
• School/YC/District Relations: You operate at their generosity and mercy, make sure they are very happy and that you have a strong productive relationship.
• PR/Promotion/Risk Management: PR covers a few things mentioned earlier, recruitment, alumni, YC and School relationship. You need to promote yourself and do it well. Its easier to tear down trust and relationships than is to build them, be careful.
• Finance: Nothing happens without the cash. Teams should have a strict budget, know exactly what their money is being spent on, and have financial goals to meet and a plan to get there. It should be painful for you to spend money, dont just let those dollars slip away. Finances should also be tranparent to the membership, school, YC, and alumni.
• Equipment: Sailing requires an investment in equipment that can last far beyond the current generation if properly cared for. Buy good gear, care for it, and pass it on.

If your program doesn't cover whats listed above then stuff is getting missed and it's hurting you. 

     Now you need procedures for how to run every aspect of the team, or a contact that can advise you on how to do something. Without these basic procedures or an adviser, stuff will get lost. Keeping these documents organized is hard, but writing out a process helps you refine it. Write out every step and think about how it can be improved, involve the whole team in this process. Process development is a business skill that will help you for the rest of your life and it gets the whole team in on understanding how the program is run (isolated knowledge is bad). There is one drawback with procedures; it kills creative, out of the box thinking. People become slaves to the process and never think beyond it. Keep that in mind and make it clear that refining a process, innovating and improving it, is just as important as having one.

     The last step is finding someone to provide the long term continuity that your team needs. In a perfect world that's and alumni and former team member who is willing to act as an adviser and have a monthly or bi-monthly meeting with the team and keep them on track. That person is ideally still an active sailor who does not have close personal ties to current team membership, someone who just graduated usually doesn't work well. If you don't have that, develop a relationship with your districts Graduate Director, if they dont know everything about running a program and are not willing to help you then they shouldnt be in that position anyway. 

     What ties this all together is dedication and execution, if you set small goals and work as a team to accomlish them the momentum will carry you on to bigger successes. 

     For the rest of this series I'll be providing outlines and procedures for different problems that club programs have. I am happy to answer questions about this process if you have them. 

Good luck

Blake Billman 

SEISA Graduate Director