Leadership as an art
Leadership attributes are an integral component of any position held by a member of the crew on board a ship making maritime jobs an art, a skill and a discipline.
Some say that safe operations at sea are a combination of innate awareness and expertise, both of which can be helped along by practice on board ship.
It can be said that every mariner is a leader in his field to various degrees. The captain, chief engineer and department head are prime candidates, but for example, a navigator involved in a vessel avoiding a collision at 2am when most are asleep exhibits important leadership skills.
Characteristics of a leader
It is a fine balance that needs to be struck to become and maintain competency as a leader. Integral is the need to lead by example rather than authority. Learning new skills and passing on your knowledge to others, after excelling in a particular area is a great attribute to anyone wishing to develop their leadership expertise. It could be said that these types of behaviours reinforce values, systems and codes of practice hopefully, already established on board.
Inspirational characters enable other crew members to believe in them. Leaders direct, coordinate and supervise activities on board, creating a positive atmosphere and a sense of community within the spaces they work in. People such as this truly care, that’s why others care about them.
It is good to anticipate challenging situations and to surmount obstacles placed in the way. Plan and then systematically set out to achieve the targets, that need to be overcome and become someone who shows initiative rather than wait and become unnecessarily reactive.
Visible characteristics such as mental fortitude and physical stamina are essential to a capable leader and make the achievement of some tasks seem easier than it at first seems. Conviction makes for a positive, energetic person who wants to solve problems and therefore doesn’t come across as lazy and ill-defined. This passion for endeavour is something that makes for a greater chance of success 24 hours a day 7 days a week.
Leaders are completists, able to take a task to its conclusion, always participating in jobs where needed, whatever the difficulty. Though demanding excellence at all times, they should never be taskmasters.
Coupling understanding and respect, good leaders communicate directly and decisively, always knowing that every opportunity to talk is a chance to influence and lead.
Giving others the chance to be coached, mentored and trained is a wonderful characteristic of anyone in charge of a given situation. They can then take more responsibility and find traits in themselves turning them into leaders in their own right.
Respect is something that leaders have in spades. For the sea itself, demands made upon them by the ship and the crew dependent on them for guidance. This tends to be a first step in becoming humble and a good listener, avoiding surprise when faced with challenging situations.
Expressing oneself in a clear, decisive fashion is vital when making day after day, life-altering decisions that may avoid the need for panic at critical moments.
