SHIP MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES

Ship-management techniques have been coming into---and going out of---style since Themistocles whipped the Persian fleet at the Battle of Salamis in 480 B.C. Yet, through all the changes over the years, three important aspects of running a ship remain unchanged. If Themistocles could board a ship today, he'd recognize the dynamic between the captain, officers and crew of a well-managed ship as the same that worked in his day.

Establish Your Presence

1. Post a sign in your wheelhouse reading, "Rule Number 1: The Captain is always right; Rule Number 2: If the Captain is wrong, see Rule Number 1." Those who see the sign might chuckle at this humorous reminder of your status; chuckle with them. Never forget, though, that you are not part of the crew. Maintaining the "magisterial gulf" between yourself and the people whose lives you may have to risk or spend for the mission, or for the safety of the ship and the other crew members, is the first rule of effective crew management.

Communicate and Encourage Communication

2. Let the ship's officers run their departments, but make sure they understand what you want---and make sure it happens. Depending on the results, remember that the adage applies: praise in public; reprimand in private. Never miss an opportunity to praise the efforts of a department or an individual crew member. Find some reason---at least once a week---to tell the crew how well they've performed. Eventually, top performance becomes an expectation and the results will be surprising. Be sure your bridge watches can communicate effectively. Be proactive about encouraging every officer and member of the crew to ask questions and speak up on any subject. The Exxon Valdez ran onto Bligh Reef in Prince William Sound, Alaska, because the master didn't advise the watch officer that he had turned on the autopilot. The quartermaster might have seen that the autopilot was on, but he couldn't turn it off because he wasn't an officer and, since an officer had turned it on, he didn't advise the watch officer. The watch officer, unaware of the situation, gave steering orders to avoid the reef, but the autopilot over-rode the movements of the wheel.

The Captain Always Knows What to Do Whether He Does or Not

3. The most important ship-management technique is confidence. Regardless of personal feelings or emotions, you must show confidence in yourself, your officers, your crew and your ship. You set the tone for the ship; if you're visibly worried about a storm, the crew will pick up on it and worry as well. If crew members are worried about something other than their duties, it might be that you forgot to play your part.

The more things change, the more they stay the same.....