There’s a reason so many metaphors link sailing and business. You might be surprised that phrases like “making headway,” “all hands on deck,” “changing course,” and “having leeway” all began as sailing terms.
The parallels are clear: Navigating the unknown, managing a crew or team, maintaining course in the face of adversity, and even keeping the boat afloat all feel very real to leaders across industries.
In my many years of both sailing and working with business leaders, I have recognized that one of the most important factors to success is a communication plan. Such a plan leads to clearer, better, more timely communication, which means fewer surprises, more accountability, and stronger strategic thinking.
A communication plan is an agreement about how you and your team or crew will communicate. It is a two-way system, established and understood in advance, and used consistently, although the message itself is rarely the same.
In sailing, I have seen examples of when communication plans have been followed and when they haven’t. Without a plan, there tends to be confusion, blame, and often failed execution, resulting in everything from lost races to costly accidents. A good plan helps avoid embarrassing situations and speeds recovery when things go wrong. In business, the same is true.
Elements of a Communication Plan
The specifics of a communication plan are free for you to choose, but the basic elements are:
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Agreement on what information needs to be communicated, how often, and by whom.
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A shared reference system, such as a numeric scale to indicate urgency or color system for project status.
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Clarity on other triggers for communication, such as delays by key stakeholders, shifting priorities, or scope changes.
Examples From the Water
When I was sailing competitively, my team was particularly strong at downwind runs (sailing with the wind behind us). One element of that success was definitely our communication plan.
Every 30 seconds to one minute, I would call out the pressure in the sail to the skipper using a 1 to 10 scale. This simple signal was critical to the skipper’s understanding of our situation. It freed her up to process additional information coming from our other crew member, and it told her when we were fine to stay the course and when to make an adjustment. (Think of it like a direct report informing you every week of the status of her work in a clear and understandable way.)
When I transitioned to sailing with my family on much bigger boats, communication remained key to our daily activities, especially during tricky maneuvers like coming onto the dock or alongside another boat.
We follow a two-pronged system:
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Aligning on the what and why of the situation.
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Using an established non-verbal communication system.
Even after nearly 20 years of sailing together, my husband and I still talk through each operation — the purpose, what success looks like before acting, and what might get in the way. This practice helps us:
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Think through the process ahead of time.
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Anticipate challenges.
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Clarify our own roles and expectations and those of others.
We also use hand signals, borrowed from the Navy, that are clear and easily understood during maneuvers. Reviewing the signals before beginning ensures we are on the same page. Utilizing the two components of our communication plan results in calm, confident, and (usually) seamless performance.
Bringing it Back to Work: Implementing a Communication Plan
Before we leave the dock completely, here's how those same principles show up on dry land.
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Clarify and agree on expectations. Let your team know what kinds of information you need, how often, and why. The more transparent you are up front, the more your team will understand not just your request but also how they contribute to shared success — and when and how to surface issues. Be specific so that there are no misunderstandings. This is the time to discuss priorities; what information needs to be ready to report out at meetings and how to track status (red, yellow, green); and who owns what pieces of the project. Pick a system that is simple and easy to replicate in different scenarios.
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Get input. Involve your team in shaping the plan. This spans everything from tactical choices, such as when to use email versus Slack, to strategic input and the conflicting priorities team members or other stakeholders are juggling. Their ideas and concerns will improve the outcome and increase accountability. You might ask your team:
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Are your expectations realistic?
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What, if any, hurdles do we anticipate?
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What information do you need from me? How often?
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What systems or signals make the most sense for us?
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What other factors might impact performance?
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What best practices can you share from other projects that will be relevant to this work?
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Review before launching new projects or operations: Each project has its nuances and rhythms. Running through a project ahead of time while reviewing the communication plan is an exercise in looking around corners, anticipating outcomes, and preparing for different eventualities. Conclude projects with a post-mortem or AAR and incorporate those learnings into the next project.
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Stick to it. As leaders, we role-model the disciplined use of a communication plan and hold others accountable to maintain it. This means correcting when we are communicating outside of the ways we agreed.
Shifting habits can be challenging, but the more you use a communication plan, the easier and more effective it becomes. You and your team will get so used to this system that you’ll eventually be surprised you ever operated without one.
Whether you’re navigating rough seas or enjoying smooth sailing, implementing a solid communication plan helps ensure a successful run. I wish you the best, and may the wind be ever at your back.
