Winning with team spirit

When athletes work together as a team, inspiring each other to be their best and push the boundaries of performance, their passion drives success. These sporting values are also shared by colleagues at Capgemini, where teamwork and common purpose bring inspiration and innovation that can really make a positive difference to the world.

Here, five Capgemini colleagues who have sailed at the highest levels share their insights about how teamwork powered them to success.

Lessons in teamwork

“The first thing to know about racing is that you don’t succeed alone,” says Munish Kumar, who has sailed across the Atlantic as part of the Clipper Round the World yacht race and is also a vice president for financial services at Capgemini in the US.

“The crew bond while training, and when you’re in the middle of the ocean, that boat is your world. Then there’s the whole organization behind the boat, including ground staff who are in communication with you constantly. It’s everybody together.”

Stéphane Lefranc is the sustainability business services head at Capgemini in Southern and Central Europe and the 2024 French sailing vice-champion.

“Sailing shows you how, in teamwork, communication is absolutely key,” he says. “As wind and sea conditions are constantly evolving, you have to permanently adapt the way you’re sailing. If you’re not communicating what’s needed, you lose out very quickly.”

Raising your game

“Sailing teaches you and your team to be open and honest,” says Siren Sundby, a managing director at Capgemini Invent in Norway, and who also brought home a gold medal for sailing from Athens in 2004.

“It lifts your performance – and, of course, to be at the front of the race you have to be a little bit smarter than the other competitors.”

“It’s important to get to that advantageous current first,” says Michael Martin, head of automation and robotics at Synapse, part of Capgemini Invent, and a former director of rules and umpiring at the America’s Cup.

“Whoever gets to the front first leads the race. It means you learn to prioritize the thing that will make the most difference quickly. In business and in engineering, it’s the same thing. You need to identify what’s most important and focus on that.”

“When you’re out on the water, it tests your capabilities,” says Stéphane. “It teaches you to improve your mindset, resilience, and behavior. You gain values you can use throughout your life.”

Developing leadership skills

Gerrit Bottemöller is senior director in manufacturing and high-tech industries at Capgemini Invent, and a world champion racing yachtsman who represented Germany in the America’s Cup in 2007. He recalls a mentor taking managerial candidates on a sailing tour.

“Sailing shows you how people behave,” he says. “You learn a lot about leadership principles from professional sailing, and it’s now part of the DNA of how I lead teams.”

“As the leader of a sailing team, you need to trust your team to take responsibility and be empowered to do what’s needed, when it’s needed,” says Siren.

Munish adds: “Your team also needs the freedom and space to grow. It’s the same in business. First, you have to direct people to what needs to get done. Then, you coach and support them. Finally, you can delegate in confidence. Sometimes you teach your team, and sometimes you learn from them.”

Shared purpose

All the Capgemini colleagues say that a sense of being ‘in it together’ drives teams forward through the good times and the challenging times.

“If you make a mistake in a race, we’ll talk about it together afterwards,” says Michael. “But we don’t dwell on it; we simply try to understand why the mistake was made so we know for next time. A constructive, positive attitude builds your professionalism.”

“You experience the good and the bad together, but you never give up,” says Gerrit. It’s always about that common goal. That’s where the team finds its motivation and commits to it.”

“Whether in sailing or in business, success is always something that is shared,” Munish adds. “The focus always needs to be on people. It’s success for everyone involved.”

From the America’s Cup to champion sailors and round-the-world yacht racers, Munish, Stéphane, Siren, Michael, and Gerrit all agree that success is a team effort. The value of coming together to work for a shared purpose is one that has helped them push boundaries in their professional lives – as well as on the water.