The Natural Leader Blog

How To Be A Natural Leader

7th February 2024

The Natural Leader at Royal Yachting Association


The Brief:  To Disrupt Thinking!

We were most excited to be invited to The Royal Yachting Association Conference 2024 with the brief to disrupt thinking.

As the national governing body and with 2400 recognised training centres across 58 different countries, the RYA really does lead the standard across the World.

The conference was attended by 400 leaders, all of whom have a love of sailing, the water and the natural world.  Speaking to many, the common theme was a passion to invite, introduce and include many into the world of sailing and the feelings and experiences that being on the water evokes.

We found ourselves amid a host of power boat trainers, yacht masters, sailing school leaders Olympic competitive sailors and ocean navigators. As with any group working across a specific area, we were introduced to a whole new language, a different outlook on the World and a group of people who are living their passion. They literally work with the wind in their sails. What stories they have!

So with the brief to disrupt thinking around leadership, we set out to stretch the thinking, challenge habits, perceptions and beliefs, step into the world of abundant and empowered leadership.

What a glorious brief, with a glorious team.

And so our intention was to design with courage and boldness, in service of deepening the learning and forwarding the action among those attending. As always, our first priority was to take care of creating safety for those in the room. This was going to be out of their comfort zone (and we have since learned that some attendees were drawn to attend the conference, just to attend the session)

And then…

Our design involved:

  • Mapping out our course in the room, dividing the room into three areas; empowered, not empowered and at choice.
  • Inviting people to actively move and step into and out of their leadership mindset.
  • Providing an experiential challenge to realise the reaction when danger approaches.
  • Learning more about their ‘natural response’ and creating the opportunity to experience a different response.
  • To see, physically, what it  looks and feels like to be empowered… and not.
  • And finally, an opportunity to learn new skills and techniques for choosing the leader they want to be.

The feedback?

  • “Empowering and thought-provoking”
  • “Unsettling and thought-provoking”
  • “Empowering, I want more”
  • “Dynamic, engaging and fun”
  • “I’d like to teach more like this!”
  • “An enlightening opportunity”Thanks for having us RYA, we loved being with you.