These are some of the conclusions made in one of our client’s safety maturity assessment reports. For those of us with many years of onboard experience there is nothing new under the sun here. As an aggressive leadership style unfortunately is something that most of us have had to accept on an ongoing basis since we started in this industry.
However, officers who always operate in a command and control fashion inflict ill-being to their crew. They strive to achieve their objectives through the efforts of others but without respect for their needs and competencies.
Everyone can learn leadership skills
In Green-Jakobsen we believe that everyone has the ability to go some way to address this matter in an alternative manner through own personal development and the application of leadership skills that focus differently.
After a leadership course comprising a range of leadership subjects our clients experience that junior officers and ratings have seen a change on board when the senior officers have returned to their vessels after finishing the course. The atmosphere is said to have improved. They express that the senior officers’ ability to communicate with the other crew members has been boosted.
Read about a course sequence prepared for a group of officers here
New skills, new habits
We do realize that the acquisition process of these leadership skills takes time, dedication, effort and practice. Inevitably, applying new skills means that old habits have to be dropped and new ones have to be learnt; we have to change certain aspects of our behaviour.
Have in mind that this process takes weeks or even months and is not something that you can achieve overnight, however, what is important is that leadership is a skill set that you can acquire and master, – it is not something you are born with.
Good leaders make people perform
Leadership is common sense you apply on board your vessel in a consistent fashion. It is not rocket science and nor does it come solely as your birth right.
Good leaders know that people are capable of delivering exceptional results when given the correct stimuli, bearing in mind to always treat them fairly and with dignity knowing that aggression has not place in a leader’s toolkit.
Our video blog series: What’s in your leaders’ Toolbox, holds a vast amount of inspiration, advice and overview of how to ensure an effective leadership standard – one that we will maximise the performance of the leaders as well as that of the crew teams on board the vessels. Get access to the video blogs here.
We design the courses according to your needs
We have more than 20 years of experience in developing leaders in the maritime industry and we always listen carefully to our clients’ needs and wishes. A good example is the collaboration with Rederiet Stenersen which started with leadership courses and has developed to much more over the years.
Our courses can be delivered world-wide. Our trainers are experienced, focused and inspirational educators and they are based in Copenhagen, Manila, and Athens.
We deliver online courses, in-house courses, short seminars, forums and officers’ conferences, open courses, webinars, 1:1 sessions.
Call us to discuss your needs and to get an offer.
Contact us for personal advice
Would you like us to call you?
