Amandine Deslandes, CEO of Marsail, revolutionizes management support by applying competitive sailing expertise to the business world. A graduate of HEC Business School and the National School of Social Security, she partnered in 2018 with Christopher Pratt, a professional skipper with multiple victories (European Champion, 8th in the Transat Jacques Vabre 2023, two-time winner of the Tour de France à la Voile). Together, they transform the extreme conditions of the open sea into a laboratory of managerial excellence, where leadership under pressure reveals itself in its true form, demonstrating why it is not “taught, but forged through action.”
The sea as a personality revealer: authenticity under pressure
The idea stems from an obvious truth that Amandine shares: “The sailing-business metaphor is extremely powerful”. In business, we naturally use maritime vocabulary: stay the course, watch out for squalls, in the same boat, all hands on deck. Amandine, who “had never set foot on a sailboat”, quickly discovered the richness of this vivid analogy.
The sea never lies and quickly reveals everyone’s true personality. When sailing, it’s impossible to cheat or hide behind a social mask. Faced with the elements, critical decisions, and fatigue, true leadership qualities emerge naturally. This forced authenticity creates a unique learning environment where every decision has immediate and tangible consequences.
Christopher founded Marsail in 2008 as a high-level sports and scientific conference structure. Version 2.0 was born from the encounter between technical navigation expertise and management soft skills. This fusion creates a unique method that confronts leaders with uncertainty, collective commitment, and the pressure of reality.
The “crew as a metaphor for the team”: trust and complementarity
Offshore racing reveals a fundamental truth: even solo, it’s a team sport. To cross the Atlantic solo, you need a team of 15 people for 4 years, not counting the entire ecosystem. At sea, survival depends on cohesion and mutual trust within the crew.
On a racing boat, leadership is rotating and situational. The skipper embodies the vision and sets the course, but depending on the conditions and phases, different positions become critical. “Everyone can be a leader at some point”, depending on their specific expertise. This dynamic relies on absolute trust among crew members.
The striking example she gives: asking everyone to position themselves on their three preferred tasks. “Generally, no orphan tasks remain” and no one ends up with the same tasks. Natural complementarity operates when the common course creates “natural coordination”.
Humility as the foundation of authentic leadership
Professional sailors possess “astonishing humility”. Faced with a 5-meter wave in the middle of the Atlantic, “showing off is useless”. This humility stems from an “ultimate self-denial in service of their mission”: sleeping on the ground, eating little, sacrificing comfort for the goal.
This stripping away reveals what’s essential: “When you are at sea, you understand that very few things matter apart from human connection”. Stepping out of the world of constant notifications where everything seems urgent allows one to return to strategic fundamentals. This spartan approach forces leaders to question their priorities and to rediscover simplicity in an environment where the elements are stronger than them.
Decision-making in uncertainty: balancing optimism and pragmatism
Skippers master a subtle balance between energizing optimism and preventive pessimism. Christopher embodies this duality: “His job as a skipper means he anticipates everything that could go wrong” to foresee and ensure safety, while Amandine brings optimism: “I always believe I have the resources to cope if things go wrong”.
This complementarity reveals that these are not opposing levels but parallel dimensions. The pragmatism of dynamic risk management (scanning, cataloging, assessing probabilities, mitigating) coexists with embodied optimism that mobilizes collective energy. Sailors possess “the sacred fire”: they don’t come to work, they live their passion.
The sea’s mirror effect: revelations in extreme conditions
The marine environment brutally reveals habitual behaviors. Amandine recounts the example of a participant who withdraws in the face of overbearing leadership. Initially frustrated (“I didn’t experience this, I was prevented from experiencing it”), she realized the next day: “What I experienced at sea, I experience all the time in meetings: I don’t speak up, I withdraw, I submit to decisions”.
The sea acts as a violent revealer of invisible daily traits. A CEO, usually visionary, clings to sensors and data to “control their anxiety about uncertainty”. These revelations create insights impossible to achieve in a traditional training room. The role reversal is always surprising: the discreet ones on land take on “incredible leadership” on the boat, while those who “show off”** can be terrified.
In a nutshell…
Here are the three major lessons to take away from this Masterclass:
- Revealing one’s authenticity under pressure: Demanding situations reveal true leadership qualities; the sea forces one to abandon masks to reveal one’s deep personality and natural reflexes.
- Building trust through competence: Maritime leadership relies on the complementarity of talents and mutual trust, pillars of any high-performing team where everyone can be a leader depending on the circumstances.
- Balancing optimism and pragmatism: Sailing develops this valuable ability to combine energizing vision and rigorous risk management, by combining passion and methodical preparation.
Don’t miss the next Masterclass!