Episode 2: How do you plan for a swim?
For Executive PA Media, Nina Hoven speaks to Tammy van Wisse. As a world record-breaking endurance swimmer, they talk about her swimming journey and triumphing over adversity. From where it all started and how to stay positive to overcome obstacles and maintain motivation.
In the second episode, Nina and Tammy discuss how she plans for a swim, highlighting the importance of effective communication for EAs to understand the final goal and everyone’s role that they will be playing in reaching the desired outcome.
Nina: “For EA’s, planning and executing tasks efficiently is critical to the role. So how did you approach planning for a swim as significant as the one between Tassie and Victoria?”
Tammy: “I understand that there are a lot of similarities between marathon swimming and being an EA navigating the demands of the role and making sure that you get all your ducks in a row, so to speak. But then you are always facing curveballs that may come your way. So I guess it’s about executing all the worst-case scenarios that you can think of and having plans A, B, C and D. I deal with a very unpredictable environment, so I’m trying to work out if the weather turns bad, and I can’t get swimming what’s the point where we can swim off; what if somebody gets injured on the boat; what if I get injured – so many factors to consider. So, I spend a lot of time looking at the logistics, and I work with many people. I actually reach out to experts in their various fields of safety. For instance, I was talking to a fisherman who had navigated in Bass Strait for 30 years and a lot of the Sydney to Hobart yacht racers who I organised meetings with just to do my research and my due diligence to find out what I potentially could be facing.
I think that’s always a good thing when you’re embarking on a project. First of all – it’s knowing what final destination is and I think that’s really important too, because communication is a huge part of everyday life and we don’t always do it for the best of our ability. I think when you’re working in the role of an EA , (as with me, with my swimming, and having a team on board) everybody has to understand the final goal and what their roles are in it. So, what the expectations and outcomes are, because it’s so easy to lose sight and you know deliver a substandard expectation and then everybody’s let down. I’m very good with planning but I also want to bring together my team. We meet regularly – they understand my goals and what I require of them, and I think that’s really important because once I’m in the water, I just want to concentrate on my job of swimming. Much like a leader – he or she wants to concentrate on what they need to do, and you’re there to support them and just provide everything you possibly can to make that journey as comfortable as possible. A lot of planning, a lot of thinking about worst-case scenarios, but be ready to think on your feet as well.”
Nina: “Yes, I can really relate to that – obviously not the swimming part, but balancing so many parts, having a clear action plan.”
Tammy: “I think self-doubt gets to us sometimes, and we don’t want to look silly, but we will look sillier if we don’t deliver the outcome that the boss was after. So, I think it’s really important to be clear in your communication and not be afraid to ask questions if you’re unsure about the destination.”
Look out for the third episode with Tammy and Nina about strategies to stay organised!
