“The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus.” —Bruce Lee 

Sir Peter Blake was a New Zealand yachtsman who won the Whitbread Round the World Race, the Jules Verne Trophy (setting the fastest time around the world in 74 days, 22 hours, 17 minutes, and 22 seconds), and led Team New Zealand to successive victories in the America’s Cup in 1995 and 2000. While the American teams had more money, New Zealand had a singularly effective strategy, the brain-child of Peter Blake. 

When Blake was asked to take over as skipper for Team New Zealand, they weren’t considered much of a real contender, especially with the better-financed American “Stars and Stripes” boat. As you can imagine, there are a myriad of things that go into preparing a racing yacht for competition, such as types of sails, ropes, winches and cranks; electronics; rigging; crew composition; and training. 

So with all these enablers and influencers for success, what should the team focus on? If you say all of them, then you have lost in time, money and prioritization. Some factors are obviously more important than others, and not all are critical for success. Like any complicated endeavor, finding and keeping focus on the right things is crucial. 

Peter Blake was a practical New Zealander and a veteran of ocean sailing and racing. So instead of fancy spread sheets and performance metrics, he focused the team on one single strategic question: Will it make the boat go faster? 

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