In its 2023 Kind Leadership Report, the Maritime Professional Council undertook a survey of over 100 key maritime professionals who shared their views on maritime leadership, training and culture at sea. Eighty-eight per cent of survey respondents agreed that there is a place for Kind Leadership in the maritime sector.  As an industry that prides itself on resilience, technical excellence and safety, it was felt that Kind Leadership is the quality that could empower employees and deliver better results all around. In the intervening months, Kind Leadership has been on the radar, but there is still some distance to go.

While historically, a Kind Leader may have been viewed as weak, that is much less the perception today. The survey showed that maritime professionals, at sea and ashore, want to work in an environment built on respect, empathy and trust, with an overriding preference for democratic leadership which promotes emotional intelligence while still adhering to a clear chain of command – essential in times of crisis.  However, the ability to question or make suggestions should always be encouraged as it can lead to more informed decision making.

In fact, Kind Leadership harnesses ‘people power’, and results in a more transparent and inclusive working environment which increases motivation, job satisfaction, communication and solid decision-making. Kind Leadership creates a feeling of being valued, heard, and integral to the team, all of which directly translate into fewer expensive mistakes, a reduction in ship and personnel accidents, and lower levels of ill health.

Today there is growing understanding of the value of Kind Leadership – enhanced health and safety, efficiency, productivity and bottom-line results – but it has not yet been consistently implemented. Although there is standard leadership training embedded in STCW and HELM courses, the survey results made apparent that topics such as communication, mentoring, emotional intelligence and inclusivity are not adequately covered. These so-called soft skills are vital to safety on board. A bridge team with open communication channels between its members operates as a single unit and so can exercise better judgement, while a cadet who feels psychologically safe to ask questions will learn faster and make fewer errors.

Strong communication only becomes possible when the crew is working in harmony and the leader plays a crucial role in creating an atmosphere of mutual respect and understanding, particularly where the crew is made up of many nationalities with different cultures and backgrounds.

As the sector struggles to attract new recruits, making sure that cadets have a good experience onboard is critical to its future. There is an urgent need to ensure that leaders are properly and consistently trained to be firm and fair so that the work environment feels safe and respectful to young mariners, a place where small issues can be raised at an early stage with no fear of reprimand. Mentoring can also play a vital role in giving cadets a trusted source of information and support.

This approach aligns perfectly with the Confidential Human Factors Incident Reporting Programme’s (CHIRP) long-standing message: a learning culture is stronger than a blame culture.

The upcoming workshop organised by MPC, The Nautical Institute and CHIRPwill take the conversation on to the next level by discussing how ‘we can bring about and then support a lasting industry cultural change?’ The workshop will examine case studies which demonstrate the efficacy of Kind Leadership, alongside examining issues such as how Kind Leadership can be integrated into mentoring, coaching and cadet training. It will also take a look at how appraisal practices can be modernised to facilitate real, measurable and positive change.

The workshop will be underscoring that Kindness is not a distraction from operational excellence. It is the very foundation of it.