Captain of Your Own Ship (Manager of Your Own Team)

Build a boat exercise to reflect on being a people manager - Curious Lighthouse

Last week I opened a Management Development workshop by recounting the events surrounded the saving of the Titanic survivors. (Granted, it wasn’t the cheeriest of openings, but it was certainly powerful!)

​The sequence of events that the Captains of the SS Californian and the RMS Carpathia took that night are often overlooked when the Titanic is mentioned.  Yet that moment in time followed them for the rest of their lives.

The SS Californian 
The inquiry records reveal contradictory evidence from the crew of the SS Californian.  Discrepancies in how

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close they actually were, whether the ship on the horizon was in fact the Titanic or not, the flares dismissed as company signals, and all the time Captain Lord never leaving his room to verify or check for himself the events that were unravelling.

Whilst on the RMS Carpathia…
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Once Captain Rostron had confirmed the unbelievable news that the Titanic was indeed sinking, his quick thinking, decisive actions and respect from the crew, saw that everyone on board worked together to; get the boilers working to full capacity, medical supplies set up and ready, rigging draped over the side for survivors to climb up, and just before they reached the site… he got his crew to have a hot coffee to keep them going throughout what he new would be a tough night.

Ships vs Managers
Throughout the workshop, I gave out different parts of a ‘build a boat’ set.  Each part represented a different aspect of being a people manager, but the final construction was a reminder that although they all had the same resources and instructions, each ship (Manager) would end up different!  I hope these little boats act as a reminder that they are the Captain of their own ship, and no matter how big or small their ship is, the decisions they make every day will impact people for long after the moment has passed.
 
Want to hear it from Captain Rostron himself?  Listen to this recording: CLICK HERE