(ii) Non-judgemental & confidentiality.
When the coach has no direct relationship with the industry it is so much easier for the crewmember to address the issues without concerns about creating more conflict. Being non-judgemental is of huge importance to the yachting industry because in global terms it is a relatively small and interconnected industry.
(iii) The crewmember is the specialist.
They know the answers. That means there is no teaching or telling, but rather empowerment to reach their goal. It is about feedback, reframing perspective, taking responsibility and action. It is through the crewmembers input that they will achieve a positive result because they know what works for them and what does not. The coach is there to bring in accountability and manage the path to success.
The main benefits to the individual therefore are non-judgemental confidentiality, flexibility and the crewmember is the specialist. By enhancing the individuals job satisfaction and performance onboard, the collective team performance will also improve and this can help to reduce crew turnover and the associated cost.
Chapter III
Coaching for Captains
Job description Captain: The primary duty of a captain is the safe manning and operation of the yacht. This includes taking full responsibility for the crew, the vessel and the guests. Every crewmember falls under the ultimate command of the captain. (Super Yacht UK,
2012).
According to The Luxury Yacht Group, the Captains’ main responsibilities and required skills are:
A calm and charismatic personality; superior leadership; communication; management and diplomacy skills; excellent boat handling and navigation; excellent safety (ISM) and security (ISPS) knowledge of practices; excellent maintenance, engineering and technical/ trouble shooting experience; the ability to remain calm and give directions in an emergency situation; organised and methodical; financial management.
In addition, Super Yacht UK say
The Captain must be highly skilled at dealing with people, both crew and the owner/guests. Personnel management skills are very important.
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (M.C.A.) from the UK is the governing body for the yachting industry worldwide. If we start comparing the course content from their training programs to the skills and requirements listed above, we can see that none of the prescribed courses cover any form of human recourses, leadership or management training and these are recognised by industry leaders as an integral parts of the Captains daily job.
Interviewing captains about what is the most challenging part of their job? The most popular answer, without a doubt, was “handling the crew!” One candidate went so far as to say
Personally I think a “crew coach” would be an excellent asset to each vessel, I’ve even thought of setting up a training course myself to cover basic conflict resolution skills…someone impartial who is not in direct authority over the crew, who can be 100% confidential and work to resolve issues among the crew in a mature and healthy way.
A Yacht Captain is essentially the Managing Director of the vessel and according to Alan Chapman on the website Businessballs
Managing Director – typical job description & duties: to Identify, develop and direct the implementation of business strategy. Plan and direct the organisation’s activities to achieve stated/agreed targets and standards for financial and trading performance, quality, and culture and legislative adherence. Recruit, select and develop executive team members and to direct functions and performance via the team. Maintain and develop organisational culture, values and reputation in its markets and with all staff, customers, suppliers, partners and regulatory/official bodies. Execute the responsibilities of a company director according to lawful and ethical standards.
Comparing this definition to that of the Captain, we see few differences and many similarities on the managerial, social and business side. The Case for Executive Coaching, 2002 by Lore International Institute (Pamela S. Wise, Ph.D., Laurie S. Voss, PH.D) proved that incorporating coaching for business executives has achieved tremendous results, such as: An enhanced use of emotional intelligence; Achieving work/life balance to enhance success and wellbeing; Reduction of high stress levels or other emotional factors that may be interfering with performance; Develop a capacity to model ideal feedback and relationship behaviours. These benefits observed in executive coaching apply equally to Captains in the yachting industry.