This blog is written for 3 different types of people. It is a little long but TOTALLY WORTH READING!
#1-amazing WR LOGISTICS LEADERS! I served as logistics for the X Squad during the first 4 months. I loved my role and wanted to share some fun stories and advice for you, the elite and coolest leaders ever(I am clearly biased!). While I only served in this role for 4 months I got to experience planning a debrief across the world, pioneering a new country, and getting stranded at the bottom of a mountain! Logistics ROCKS!
#2-current and future racers: this is a small view of what your logistics leaders do on a daily basis for them. Remember to love them well in this role and know that you could be stranded in a bus terminal without them. They love you and want to serve you, so make sure they know that you love them too!
Shoutout to the XSquad for doing an amazing job of loving me and Mike! Yall are da best 🙂
#3-everyone else: This is a small peek into my first 4 months on the field and the different things I was involved in. There are funny stories and good lessons learned. It was a blast and I wouldn’t change anything about it (except maybe that 3.5 hr hike-story is included in the blog!).
How to ROCK OUT as a World Race Logistics Leader:
1-Communicate! Communicate! OVERCommunicate!
Seriously, I can’t say it enough. Communication is one of the most important things in logistics. Your role is to safely get your squad from point A to point B. That means you want things to be clear and concise so when craziness happens(it will) the entire squad is prepared. It is always a good idea to share travel plans with your team leaders prior to arriving for a travel day. This will minimize questions and allow for smoother transport(I recommend 10 days before!).
Talk to your squad leaders! They are always available to serve you and they want to serve you(I know, because I am one now!) Let them know your thoughts for debriefs and overcommunicate your ideas so that everyone is on the same page.
Sometimes communication is difficult; like when you speak English and the guy at the hostel speaks Tagolog. Never give up on that communication, because eventually when money is involved they will find someone who speaks English to help.
Keep in touch with your AIM logistics coordinator because they most likely did logistics and are full of wisdom(shout out to Drew Phelps!). They are also great to assist you when there is a 12 hr time difference and you need to make communication during business hours. They are there to help, so don’t hesitate to ask.
2-Empower and Delegate!
There will definitely be times when you hold sensitive information and you can’t delegate to anyone, but when you can, don’t hesitate. You were called up to serve as logistics, so you hold the power to call others higher and give them responsibility. On our squad I created Travel Leaders. This meant that one person from every team served as their travel leader and helped make travel days run smoothly. We communicated information to them before we left for travel and throughout the entire day(s). It was their responsibility to relay information to their team and help us safely get to our final destination. I loved serving beside our travel leaders and they were a huge part of squad logistics!
3-Be confident!
Walk in the ways of Christ, knowing He has fully equipped you for this. Your squad’s leadership staff choose YOU to lead in this way, so know you have been prayerfully chosen to lead your squad in logistics. Walk in confidence knowing you were called up and the Lord wants to use you in this ministry. When addressing your squad and making decisions, be confident knowing that you are doing all you can to serve your squadmates. Your squad loves and appreciates all that you are doing, so confidently speak out directions, concerns, and feedback. And give feedback to your squad during or after travel. If you give it, then you open the door to receive it and get better at your job!
4-Leave room for God to move!
There will be times when you really think that nothing is gonna work out. When you are in Africa and debrief is in the Philippines, it may seem like a lost cause, but NOTHING is impossible with God. Pray about your role. Pray about the things you are working on. Ask your team to join you in prayer for the times when you are stressed and concerned. PRAY! He will always open the right doors, but sometimes you can only see the endless pages of hostelworld bookings and it’s difficult to remember He has a hand it. Don’t stress, because He will provide, ALWAYS!
5- COFFEE, chips, COKE, candy!
Travel day snacks, every World Racers favorite thing. Ok, this one might be a personal logistics fave, but coffee and coke were always a staple on my travel days. My first travel day lasted 67 hours. The only time I slept was for a few hours on a plane. As a logistics leader, I chose to stay awake during travel days because it allowed me to always be available for the squad and to be aware of things that can change instantly(like flight times or flat tires on buses). Take turns sleeping with your co-leader and when all else fails, grab a 3-n-1 and rock out to your iPod. Realize going into this role that things will happen to make your travel days longer; like a bus blowing a tire on the highway in Malaysia at 1am; but never fear because a cold Coke can help you jump back into action(and maybe a candy bar too!)
6-Remember that you are not alone!
At any one time the World Race has a minimum of 12 squads on the field. That is 24 logistics leaders, 12 countries, and an endless network of people to help and encourage you. If you are researching things in a different country there is a good chance that a squad is on the field there or has recently been there. Do your research and see if another logistics person can help you. I was connected with another squad’s logistics coordinator while planning a debrief. My co-leader and I had worked for 2 weeks to find a debrief hostel and kept coming up empty handed. With one Facebook message, the other leader was able to give us a hostel and within a day we were booked for an amazing beach debrief! Use your fellow logistics leaders! Use past logistics leaders(holla at cha girl!) and know that we are one family all working to serve our squads and our Father.
7-HAVE FUN and laugh about the crazy times(b/c there will be a lot)!
Here is the fun part. Logistics is an exciting role and sometimes you will see and experience things that other people on the squad miss. Sometimes you and your fellow logistics leader will go into town for wifi
and then get stranded.
at the bottom of a mountain.
in Swaziland.
(true story)
These moments are the times that you both think you will go crazy but when you get to the top of the mountain, after 3.5 hours of hiking, you will hug and almost cry in excitement. And then 4 months later you will still laugh and joke about it. (side note: my Toms have still not recovered-they are eternally stained with the African soil)
You will remember these times forever.
My favorite memory as logistics was pioneering Ethiopia. When we arrived to the Addis Ababa airport, it was almost 11pm, all cell phone booths were closed and we didn’t have transportation to our hostel. Mike (my co-leader) and I walked out to the taxi terra to negotiate prices.
Honestly, it was really sketchy, but we got a taxi and went to grab our squad. As we made it to our taxi we were quickly rushed by other drivers wanting our business. Before we knew it there was an all out verbal BRAWL taking place and then….
a female soilder steps in the middle,
grabs a taxi driver,
holds his shoulder and kicks him in the shin.
TAXI DRIVER DOWN!
As I watched this take place, from about 2 feet away I was silently stunned and in total,
I AM A BOSS AND I WILL PROTECT MY SQUAD MODE
(imagine the Terminator, with blonde hair and a WR tee..intimidating, right?)
Fast forward, we made it into our taxi’s safely(Charlie’s Angels came to the rescue aka our alumni squad leader Pat Stiller) , but it took us over 2 hours to get to our guest house, which by that time was closed, and then eventually we ended up sleeping on the floor of an office building. It was a night I will never forget and one that we all laugh about to this day.
When all else fails as logistics just remember, HOLD THE SHOULDER, KICK THE SHIN!
But seriously, on the long travel days or stressful planning days remember that you were chosen for this role. There are so many people supporting, praying, and loving you. I loved being a logistics leader and I am sure that you will too! LOGISTICS FO EVAAAA!
I may not be logistics now, but I would still love to help and serve any of you that are in this role. Please shoot me an email with any questions, funny stories, etc. [email protected]
with lots of logistics love,
sam
