Voyage to Victory: Stories and Strategies for Resilience, Risk and Reward

By Elliott W Wislar

There is no better time than the present to get back to business and relationship fundamentals like trust and transparency, mental fortitude, self-reflection, and courageous leadership that empowers others to live out their full potential. But this isn't an ordinary business book. Voyage to Victory is a journey of resilie

• Language: English
• Publisher: Rudder Post LLC
• Release date: May 25, 2024
• ISBN: 9798990217119

Elliott W Wislar

Elliott W Wislar is the CEO and founder of Clearbrook, a diversified asset management company headquartered in Stamford, CT with offices in the U.S., Norway, and Asia. Prior to Clearbrook, Elliott held senior executive positions in marketing and distribution with UBS, Fleet Bank, United Jersey Bank, and The Boston Company, a division of The Bank of New York. Elliott's family immigrated to the U.S. in the 1660s and settled in the Boston area. An avid sailor and ocean racer, Elliott has served on numerous boards and charities, which include President of the Board for the Newgrange School of Princeton and Head of the Investment Committee and Board member for the Sacred Heart School of Princeton.

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Copyright © 2024 Elliott W. Wislar

Published by Rudder Post, LLC

Book Design and Interior by Damonza

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Printed in the United States of America

First Printing, 2024

paperback ISBN 979-8-9902171-0-2

eBook 979-8-9902171-1-9

Chapter 2

You’re Not Dead in the Water

Trust yourself. Create the kind of self that you will be happy to live with all your life. Make the most of yourself by fanning the tiny, inner sparks of possibility into flames of achievement.

—Golda Meir, leader

I was reflecting on the International One Design yacht races. Our crew won the 2010 and 2011 championships—a culmination of training for me since the age of eight. A couple years back, we were second or third overall in the standings. We rounded the race in first or second place at the top mark. I informed the crew we were gybing to the inside of the course where there was a big gust of wind. We had about twenty seconds to act. One of my crew asserted that we should stay on shore.

I hesitated, and we got boxed out. We went from second place to eighth place in the race, which caused us to go from second or third in the regatta to eighth place since the rest of the regatta was called for heavy winds. When you’re a leader, you have to go with your gut because you see the overall lay of the land more clearly than others. At the end of the day, you must be decisive and follow through with conviction.

One of my mentors was four-star General and Commander of the U.S. Central Command, Norman Schwarzkopf, Jr., from Trenton, New Jersey where my father and grandfather grew up. He would take his military experience and talk about business. He once said, So many businesspeople fail because they have taken a hill like we used to take a hurdle and they pat themselves on the back, they put their encampments up, and they’re slow. So, what happens is everyone passes you, but in the military, what that means is we get killed. Everyone knows where we are. What I’m successful in is every time I took a hill or made an advancement, I took the information I had immediately at hand, and I moved again. So, nobody could catch up to me. Nobody knew where we were. As a general, nobody did that. I was with my men.

This is a strange dilemma for CEOs. As you’re gaining momentum, you must be with your people to understand them and know how to unlock their potential, but you also must be the one to ultimately make decisions or as General Schwarzkopf eloquently states—your enemy will catch up to you and overrun you.

Take the information you have on hand at the time and yes, make calculated decisions and trust yourself. You can’t waffle. I permitted someone to challenge my decision. How many corporations lose because their leader did not follow their own instincts? Don’t let others dissuade you from following your gut feelings. At the end of the day, it’s your head on the chopping block. So, own it.

Miranda Lambert sang The House That Built Me, which has the perfect lyrics around identity and finding yourself, finding your voice to trump all others during difficult situations while remembering where you came from and what made you the person you are. A lot of CEOs, leaders and individuals fail because they allow people to talk them out of their big plans. Believe in yourself and find others who believe in you. Don’t ever give up those dreams.

When I was in my twenties and thirties, I got all worked up about things. I was nervous and didn’t always trust myself. In your fifties and sixties, you possess a different level of self-assurance. How do we encourage young professionals to develop the confidence and self-esteem they need to be the best version of themselves? If they have what it takes in terms of capacity and capabilities, they can do it now.

My daughter, Mackenzie, applied for a coveted position at an investment research house straight out of college and landed it. The job spec required three to five years’ experience, which she did not have, but she believed in herself. She did not inflate her level of experience or any explicit skills—she assessed her own qualifications and knowledge first, trusted herself and presented herself as someone they would desire on the team. It paid off! It’s never too early to take risks and trust instincts.

I truly wish I had acquired this knowledge earlier in my life, but you can bet I instilled it in my children!

Dedication

This book is dedicated to all my mentors, many of whom are named throughout the text. Importantly, my greatest mentors are my children, EJ, Mackenzie, and Wes. Let me contextualize for you: As I experienced challenges and adventures in business and sports, and learned many of life’s lessons, I began to see my children embrace and learn from these experiences as well. What I have achieved has blossomed in my children and they have become mentors to me, as well as others.

Stay close to your kids. Enjoy family dinners without electronics. Develop traditions like cutting down a live Christmas tree together. Hoist them on your shoulders as high as you can. Create annual family vacation plans, which will allow them to develop their personas. Listen with both of your ears as your kids mature—they will become great sounding boards.

One day early in my career, things were going badly at Fleet Bank where I was employed at the time, and I was feeling down. We were at a gas station in New Jersey where the attendant was pumping gas (as they still do in New Jersey). My eldest son, EJ said, Don’t worry, Dad, you can always pump gas. Look at the wad of cash they carry. I laughed and then thought, this eight-year-old is onto something. No matter how bad it gets, opportunities abound!

At another stage in my career, I confided in my daughter, Mackenzie, that my company, Clearbrook, had hit a rough patch. She looked at me and said, Dad, what are you talking about? You’ve won World Championships in sailing, launched companies, and raised three successful kids. This too will pass. Boy, was she correct!

I often look at my youngest, Wes, who has been through so much. If he can earn his PhD, after struggling with cerebral palsy since birth, and enduring so many surgeries, who am I to ever feel down?

So yes, these three