From military clarity to corporate dashboards to a yacht racing the wrong way around the world — a marketer’s diary entry on what truly drives performance.

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“Leadership is like navigating a storm: keep the crew steady, keep the boat afloat, and pretend you meant to sail in that direction all along.”

— Not Aristotle, but surely he would have approved

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Dear Diary,

A disappearing LinkedIn post ambushed me today — one of those rare ones that actually makes you stop scrolling rather than accelerate.

The post asked:

“Have we misunderstood leadership all along?”

Before I knew it, my brain had already taken a detour through three completely different universes:

• modern military doctrine
• corporate number-driven leadership
• and a memory from Barcelona, 2022, when I heard Mark Denton describe what it takes to lead 17 amateurs 32,000 miles across the world’s roughest oceans.

Suddenly, all three models felt strangely connected — as if they were secretly trying to teach the same lesson in different dialects.

Wizard — why does leadership look so different depending on where you study it?

My translation: leadership styles vary wildly, but the humans underneath them remain stubbornly similar.

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Note to Self 1: Military Leadership — Humans as Operational Capability

Modern military doctrine has one rule carved into granite:

👉 A leader’s primary duty is to maintain the unit’s operational capability.

And “operational capability” isn’t equipment, tactics, or budget.

It is — quite simply — the people.

Their:

• endurance
• clarity
• cognitive load
• emotional stability
• morale
• trust

Human-centric leadership isn’t “soft”. It’s oxygen — the least glamorous ingredient, and yet try performing without it.

If your people can’t function, nothing else matters.

Wiz — is the military sometimes more human-centric than corporate leadership?

Who would’ve thought that the battlefield manual would make a stronger case for humanity than many annual reports?

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Note to Self 2: Number Leadership — When Dashboards Become Deities

Corporate leadership has a well-known love affair with numbers.

And I do understand why — metrics feel concrete, tidy, reassuring.

But sometimes the numbers become the goal instead of the guide.

You know the signs:

• decisions orbiting quarterly targets instead of purpose
• people treated like adjustable levers on a dashboard
• pressure mistaken for progress
• “busy” celebrated more loudly than “effective”
• exhaustion disguised as commitment

This is where the 2025 HBR study landed with force:

Teams with high psychological safety had significantly lower burnout and turnover — even under intense pressure.

Not a perk. Not a luxury.

A requirement.

Wizard — why do companies cling to metrics even when people are clearly signaling strain?

If dashboards tracked “team energy reserve” alongside revenue, prioritization meetings would look very different.

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Note to Self 3: Crews & Skippers — What Mark Denton Taught Me at Sea (Well, in Barcelona)

There I was in Barcelona, 2022, listening to Mark Denton describe the BT Global Challenge:

A skipper tasked with leading 17 amateurs (70% first-time sailors!) 32,000 miles against the spin of the earth, with no hiring or firing option, and only one rule:

Safe. Happy. Fast.

A gentle chain reaction, really: safety lifts spirits, lifted spirits lift performance — and suddenly, “fast” is not a demand but a consequence.

What struck me most:

• He started with why each person was really there
• He built a shared purpose: “We’re here to realise everyone’s dream in one way or another”
• He insisted on distinct roles, mastered deeply
• He created daily psychological safety (cockpit meetings mid-storm asking: “What do we need to do differently?”)
• He dismantled unhealthy internal competition between the two watches
• He introduced short-term shared goals (“overtake that boat in 24 hours”)
• And he lived by the line every leadership team should tattoo on the office wall:

👉 “Don’t break the people or the boat.”

Not metaphorical.

Not inspirational.

Literal survival.

Wiz’o Wiz — why is this sailing story so relevant for marketing teams today?

Part of me wonders if marketing teams would thrive with a small daily “cockpit check” — just to align, breathe, and stop the boat from metaphorically veering into Iceland.

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And the Final Reality Check, Wiz’o Wiz: What Kind of Leadership Works Best for Marketing Teams?

After comparing soldiers, spreadsheets, and storm-battered sailors, one thing becomes clear:

Marketing teams need a hybrid model — the best of each world:

• Military clarity about mission and human capability
• Corporate discipline in measuring what matters (but not worshipping it)
• Skipper-style teamwork where roles are mastered and interdependent
• Psychological safety built in as operational infrastructure
• Adaptability, because the weather changes hourly
• Shared purpose, especially under pressure

In short:

Humans first. Numbers second. Storms always.

Wiz — final check: does this leadership model hold?

My final takeaway: storms are manageable.

It’s sailing without clarity — or without a crew — that sinks the ship.

Also, memo to future me: it wouldn’t hurt to learn to sail… and perhaps invest in a decent raincoat while at it.

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Further Reading & Compass Points Behind This Exploration:

Mark Denton — Navigate the Storm: Teamwork (Barcelona 2022 keynote)
Also in Youtube

Harvard Business Review (2025) — In Tough Times, Psychological Safety Is a Requirement, Not a Luxury