While some may dream about working remotely from the comfort of home or a coffee shop, Scott Leonard, founder, and CEO of a financial advisory firm Navigoe set his sights for the sea.
For two and a half years Leonard sailed around the world with his wife and three sons, all while running his company from afar. Living Talent caught up with Scott last week to answer many of our own questions and see what he had learned along the way. For all those who are curious as to the why and how he pulled this off keep reading as I break down the full story.
Life at Sea
It all started in July of 2010 after the family sold their house in Hermosa Beach, California and set sail from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida to the Caribbean and the South Pacific. Together for the next two and a half years, they lived in their 50-foot catamaran sailboat named “Three Little Birds,” after Bob Marley’s song.
The boat was equipped with all of the essentials from four bedrooms with queen sized beds to a dishwasher, washer/dryer, and a flat-screen TV. It’s safe to say this was no shabby ship, but rather a floating house. While sailing, this CEO was on a truly one-of-a-kind adventure from sightseeing, scuba diving, and island hopping all while running his own business thousands of miles away.
The Daily Work Routine
As a part of Leonard’s daily routine, he would connect to the Wi-Fi (if anchored on an island), or satellite in order to conduct his work. From there Leonard would update his files, download documents, and then check the weather.
Additionally, Leonard relied on using Skype and similar applications for video conferencing as well as using a texting service called Zingo. After Leonard was done using all of his applications and downloading all of his files he would work on everything from blog posts to analysis and research while he was disconnected.
Challenges Along The Way
Although to most of us connecting to Wi-Fi or a satellite is only a mouse click away, there were several factors that made connecting a real challenge. Leonard described the weather as one of the main obstacles especially when it came to using satellite. He said, “satellite isn’t as concise, when it comes to having a complete stable connection, especially when you are sailing and aren’t anchored.”
The other factor that came into play often when trying to connect to Wi-FI were the capabilities and laws of the local islands. Getting over this obstacle would sometimes even involve the government in certain parts as Leonard described when he tried to get a sim card for his cell phone. Leonard described the experience as a lengthy process as one cannot simply buy a sim card in French Polynesia as ordered by national security. Leonard had to register for it and soon learned how hard securing connections would be.
Leonard also encountered another challenge when it came to the different time zones. He did whatever it took to speak with his clients, even if it meant working late or getting up at the crack of dawn. “It was my job to approach the clients time zone not the other around.”
Lessons Learned At Sea
With new challenges around every turn, Leonard was able to foster a knowledge-centered learning environment. Leonard was able to grasp hold of valuable skills when it came to working remotely. When asked what skills he learned while working remotely he couldn’t help but laugh saying “Yes, I laugh because sailing a boat through the third world is such work.” From changing propellers, sourcing local parts, to dealing with cellular and wireless communications he encountered many challenges and learned how to adapt quickly.
Additionally, Leonard learned about what it took in order to secure not only his data and information but also his client’s. Leonard described this in detail saying,“I was hyper-focused about the security of my connections, and while some bars had open Wi-Fi, I couldn’t use that and had to set up virtual private networks.” These private networks would also come in handy down the road as Leonard cites using them during hotel stays. From taking all of these safety precautions Leonard was able to not only maintain his business but see it flourish from afar.
How He Made This Possible
Despite sailing appearing as a spur of the moment type of ordeal it was everything but. Leonard was very strategic and started planning everything four years before his departure. Although he would fly up every quarter to check in he knew he needed someone to step in while he was away. During his search, he came across Eric Toya.
As a part of making the clients feel comfortable with the changes to come Leonard trained Toya on how to run the day to day operations of the business. Toya started by sitting in on all client meetings with Leonard and from there learned the ropes when it came to maintaining client relationships.
Leonard saw this as a great opportunity to step out of the spotlight and allow others to grow. “I’m a big strong personality and by me being gone it allowed him to step into a role of leadership and it was great for his growth and made our business stronger.” With Leonard away, Eric would emerge as a strong leader.
Operations Become Irrelevant
From this change in operation, Leonard described his role as “intentionally irrelevant,” when it came to the day-to-day operations of the business. As a result, Leonard’s employees became the “gatekeepers,” of all information when it came to emails and regular correspondence.
He describes this as a tactic he used when saying,“ I was forced to delegate and give up control and not respond. So I would not respond to immediate ones and let my team take care of it. I would force a time difference between responses so it allowed me to become intentionally irrelevant.”
Leonard added that with the time change being on his side it helped support his role of being irrelevant, especially when it comes to communicating on a daily basis. “We live in such a society where people expect such immediate communication and being remote allows you an excuse to not be there immediately and forces people to seek the answer on their own.”
By forcing people to seek the answer on their own it allowed him to accomplish this unique role of being “intentionally irrelevant”. Leonard goes further in-depth on this tactics and planning in his book, “The Liberated CEO.”
How it Would Be Today
When it comes to the ability to work remotely Leonard has certainly set a great example for those who are desiring to do so. With adapting to every challenge you encounter and making yourself “intentionally irrelevant,” you are able to let others emerge as leaders. Although it will be another 7 years before this CEO sets sail again for the sea he plans to do it all over again.
If he were to do it all over again today he advises those who desire a similar adventure to be equipped with an international cell phone plan and use a scheduling software as he did to save time and simplify the equation when it comes to managing time zones.