Only One Captain

Only One Captain

While working on a cruise ship is exciting and a great way to see the world one must always remember there is only one Captain on board.

The Captain is the ultimate authority on a ship. His word is final, and not to be questioned. That is the command role of senior officers.

We have sailed with many different styles of Captains. Some are very reserved, quiet, serious, and all business. They are probably “C” and “D” styles. They are not very talkative when we are on the bridge doing a commentary of the port being sailed into. They are respected for their authority and precision and expect others to do their job as directed.

We have also met Captains who have “S” in that mixture and are a real pleasure to sail with. Talkative and concerned we are comfortable they command with not only respect from their crew but the crew also like them a lot.

Here we are pictured with Captain Tony of the Princess Coral, a really nice guy.

Of course when you are responsible for 3,000 lives and a ship worth over $350 million there is not a lot of room for any kind of joker. This is serious business and every Captain we have ever had the privilege to sail with has demonstrated a no nonsense, serious approach to his command. We have always enjoyed working with these pros.

We may be the Dynamic Duo and meet people from all walks of life through our workshops on Teamwork, Teambuilding, Communications, Leadership, Emotional Intelligence and our newest Bullying in the Workplace, but we know there can only be one Captain. While we may work well as a team there are lines we each respect and don’t cross. When it comes to program content Barb is the Captain, when it comes to relationships Bill is the Captain. This way we both have designated areas of responsibility and we take them seriously.

With all that being said we often have passengers on board who are captains in their own world. Some are captains of industry, manufacturing, religion, and even their own small boats. We have met ambassadors, politicians, judges, even a Supreme Court Justice, who are all captains of their country as well. However on board, there is only one Captain. We see lots of armchair quarterbacks when we miss a port due to weather or other unsafe conditions, but there is only one captain and he makes that decision.

In most companies the most effective Captains operate differently from their sea counterparts. On land these managers/leaders often consult with their deputy managers, for valuable insight into the operation of the various departments. It can be much more collaborative, than in a pseudo military environment.

Land, or the office, is not the place for a command structure and in fact is probably the weakest form of leadership. On land the serving leader is the highest level of leadership. Caring and compassionate with vision and direction is the formula for success in today modern companies.

So as you can see there are different styles for management and effective leadership.

Our hope for your department is that there are no Captain Ahabs at the helm. If there are... we need to talk.