How can leaders move forward when pressure and uncertainty is high? Blind adventurer Hiro Iwamoto and his ‘seeing eye Doug” Doug Smith sailed across the Pacific in 55 days, from San Diego to Fukushima. The two share key strategies in taking action despite uncertainty and what’s needed to pick the right partners to make impossible projects a reality. Hiro also shares how he stays calm in moments of extreme adversity, like when whale sank his boat during an earlier attempt leaving him in a life raft for 11 hours amid five-metre waves.
Key takeaways:
Courage means moving forward without waiting for 100% information
Find people who can solve problems, not just point them out
How thinking in the present can prevent panic and enable decision-making
Hiro is an adventurer, keynote speaker and the first totally blind person to sail across the Pacific. Doug has worked in Japan for more than 30 years and became Hiro’s sailing partner after saying, “I can see, you can sail.” Their lessons on crisis leadership, teamwork, overcoming fear and innovation can motivate any leader during difficult moments.
