Gareth , who had a 25-year career with the RAF , is using skills from his military career and his knowledge as an experienced diver to teach business owners the importance of human factors . He ’ s off to Lisbon shortly to work with a team of Agile project management specialists to help them become better leaders and team members within their own organisations .

Gareth ’ s company – Human In The System – uses academic theory , case studies and simulation programmes developed for high-risk industries to help

people understand each other ’ s behaviour and to reflect and adapt accordingly .

“ The skills I am teaching help people deal with uncertainty and complexity and in diving this can mean the difference between life and death .

“ In business , it means developing an understanding of people ’ s behaviour , sometimes under extreme stress , and then being able to co-ordinate and lead a team to benefit the business .”

This autumn , Gareth is travelling to Mexico to work with a team of deep cave explorers with their ‘ soft ’ or ‘ non-technical ’ skills – something which can get missed when a team are learning important technical and functional skills .

“ Learning technical skills such as how equipment functions and how you need to maintain buoyancy or lay line in a cave is

one thing – however learning how to work as a team , to cope under stress and to react when things go wrong unexpectedly , is of vital importance in keeping each other safe and working cohesively . Human error cannot be eliminated but developing an understanding how to predict it and limit its impact is what I do .”

The courses which Gareth and Human In The System provide teaches divers – or any team undertaking any activity – the importance of decision-making , situational awareness ( what ’ s going on right now , does it make sense ? what happens next ?), communication skills , teamwork and managing stress and fatigue .

Gareth , who lives with his family in Malmesbury , will be delivering the same training to a group of deep wreck divers in Nottingham in November . He will also be

travelling to Los Angeles to lead a one-day forum on human factors in scientific diving organised as part of a larger event by the American Academy of Underwater Sciences .

“ It can be difficult for a business owner to visualise how my diving skills and expertise can help them do better business . However , by being part of a team in a ‘ virtual ’ high-risk environment , a business owner , directors or staff can :

• reduce errors .

• face failure with a growth mindset .

• increase trust and then productivity .

• encourage leaders to start listening .

• teach entrepreneurs that being vulnerable is okay .

If you want to know more about how Human In The System can help your team visit : www . humaninthesystem . co . uk or email : gareth @ humaninthesystem . co . uk