Seaways - November 2022
Respect helps us understand that not everyone can perform at their very finest every day of the year and respect helps us think about how we can help every colleague ‘be the best they can be’
Demonstrating leadership
As maritime professionals in The Nautical Institute we all have a responsibility to lead by example in the respect we show to others – whether more junior, more senior or when working with colleagues from a place with different values. When we show this respect we are well on the way to effective communication. Words, signs, body-language and a two-way conversation can help ensure our communications are effective.
We need to ensure that our messages are understood and give the chance for our colleagues to respond with any questions. We must allow colleagues to seek clarifications when required and ensure that they understand what is expected. Extending the hand of professional support will help foster an effective and mutually supportive workplace. This works at every level. From the Bosun briefing the crewmembers on deck to the Master/Pilot exchange, courtesy, respect and effective communication help foster the most effective work environment possible.
Leadership is also about commitment to a set of values and beliefs. During our 50th year it has been my privilege to share discussions with some of our Founder members who, as maritime professionals believed – and still believe – we have an essential role in building a better, safer and more effective maritime community.
I strongly believe we continue to uphold the values of our Founder members. Our influence is on a global scale as we work with other NGOs at the International Maritime Organization; we work locally, regionally, nationally and internationally with stakeholders to help raise standards. Our views are championed by active members through our committees at HQ and through our branch networks. My thanks to all who contribute in this way. You are the voice of The Nautical Institute and you are the voice of maritime professionals.
We are most effective when we work collaboratively, so it is with great enthusiasm and pride that I am able to announce that The NI has recently committed to be part of a European multidisciplinary consortium to increase navigational safety through the OCEAN project.
The OCEAN project is focused on enhancing operator awareness in navigation to reduce the frequency of severe accidents like collision and grounding, to mitigate ship-strike risks to marine mammals, and to mitigate the risk presented by floating obstacles to ships and will contribute to an improved understanding of accident root causes. We will be working with organisations from European countries representing industry, academia, NGOs and end users in a project awarded funding by Horizon Europe, launched in October 2022, due to run until 2025.
The project ambition is to contribute to the mitigation of navigational accidents by supporting navigators to do an even better job than they do presently. Working with the consortium, we will address the most pertinent factors that may contribute to events becoming accidents: training, technical, human or organisational factors, operational constraints, processes and procedures, commercial pressures. We will recommend improvements and amendments to regulations, standards and bridge equipment design approaches.
My thanks to David Patraiko, Director and Head of Research and Relationships and the team in securing our role in this important work that will make a significant contribution to maritime safety and help identify key professional development needs in our community. This project will require wide consultation, demonstration and dissemination and we look forward to working with our global membership to achieve a significant impact.
There are two characteristics that underpin effective leadership: respect and communication