How to lead and inspire a team to achieve exponential results?
Leading by example and walking the talk is the best recipe for success for people in leadership positions with heavy responsibilities.
Don’t preach what others should do, just do it yourself and set an example for others to follow. While 90% will follow straight away, the 10%, who may need more time to be convinced and buy in to the vision, will ultimately catch up and follow. Indeed, the fire of inspiration spreads.
Crawling up in the funnel during the EGCS (SOx Scrubber) retrofit is not easy, but very much doable and good way to test one’s flexibility of own structural members and internals. However, its worth to walk the talk to the crew and the attending Managers on board. The view from the top - isn’t it good?
Managers who are down to earth and go into every space on ship, during their ship visits, where they expect the crew to go to, rather than just sitting in the shore/yard/ship’s office and giving instructions will get exponential results from crew. They will not only engage with the crew, command respect and trust, understand the difficulties of the task the crew may face and develop a deep empathy for crew on board who are the frontline workers who are sailing the ships and moving the cargoes, while the Managers are simply playing the support role from shore office.
Companies excel when Managers on shore and Managers on board (crew) engage and bond with mutual trust, respect and empathy. Losses and 99% of accidents are preventable when there's no disconnect between shore-based Managers and ship board Managers.
From funnel top in 2019 (was responsible for selection, design and retrofitting 28 EGCS or SOx Scrubbers in 2018~2019 by empowering the team on shore and on board, with pristine results in cost and operational efficiencies) to mountain top with the planned retirement on 31 December 2020.
Views from top are expansive. As John C Maxwell says, Leaders should not behave like travel agents who talk about the places they want you to go, but act like a tour guide who talk about the rose garden, and walk with team to the rose garden.
Have leadership and change management issues? Let me walk you to the rose garden.