Merchants & Mechanics Bank Building photo (Ned Goode,1971) courtesy of New Bedford Whaling Museum

From the New Bedford Whaling Museum Flickr photo page:

Photograph of Merchants and Mechanics Bank, the west front side, North Water Street. The Merchants’ and Mechanics’ Bank was built in 1831 as the first Greek revival commercial building in the district with Iconic columns donning the facade. One of the many buildings designed in such a style along the historic district between 1790 and 1855, this building was the work of architect Russell Warren. Housing two prominent banking institutions, two architects were commissioned over time, disagreements in style causing a slight difference between the vertical slope of the left four and right four columns.

Downtown New Bedford has really grown into a dynamic business, arts and culture community and we are looking forward to being part of it.

My father told me he remembered that a truck lost control driving down Williams Street and ended up taking out one of the columns.  That would explain the picture. Here’s a link to an even older photo of the building.

My friend, and Weekly Leader colleague, Wally Bock wrote a post this week on a “new” story that’s been circulating about the sinking of the Titanic. Steering into an Iceberg.  Admittedly, I am no Titanic expert but I find the story impossible to fathom. I won’t get into it here but you can read my comment on Wally’s great Three Star Leadership blog.

For a different, yet equally implausible, Titanic sinking story make sure that you visit gCaptain.com and read the post “Was the titanic sunk by a small key?”

While the sinking stories presented in the Three Star Leadership and gCaptain blogs may not hold water, they both are effective in delivering important lessons about leadership.

Why do they work so well?

The Titanic stories, like the ship itself, are bigger than life. They balance a healthy mix of fact and ambiguity and give us ample room to think creatively about what was possible and probable.  The ending is not a surprise, it’s the twists and turns along the way that engage us. For as long as our species has been on earth, walking upright and sitting around a fire at night to keep warm, we’ve been telling stories. And that’s one very effective way for us to learn.

One of my favorite leadership books is Joseph L. Badaracco Jr.’s Questions of Character: Illuminating the Heart of Leadership Through Literature. From the book’s Introduction:

“…serious literature offers a view from the inside. It opens doors to a world rarely seen – except, on occasion, by leaders’ spouses and closest friends. It lets us watch leaders as they think, worry, hope, hesitate, commit, exult, regret, and reflect. We see their characters tested, reshaped, strengthened, or weakened. These books draw us into leaders’ worlds, put us in their shoes, and at times let us share their experiences.”

The Titanic story was very real; over 1,500 souls were tragically lost that night.  But the story’s set up and scale are worthy of the best of fictional storytelling and that’s why it’s so effective at delivering relevant, timeless leadership lessons.

For as long as man has recorded history, he has known about the strong link that exists between the sea and the art and practice of leadership. At the macro level, Ancient civilizations including the Egyptians, Greeks, Phoenicians and Romans all appreciated the importance of maintaining a strong maritime culture. This allowed them to strengthen and expand their empires through trade and war.  The Ancients were followed by European nations who perfected global expansion through the use of naval power. The clearest example of this was the tiny island of Great Britain who was able to extend her influence (leadership) halfway around the world.

At the micro level, all of the above cultures also understood the value on the individual of the maritime experience as an effective proving ground for future leaders. Read Richard Henry Dana’s Two Years Before the Mast or anything by Herman Melville or Joseph Conrad and you’ll get a better understanding of how the sea experience can transform young adolescents into fully formed adults. Even today, many military organizations around the world, including the United States Coast Guard, still use tall ships to train their young elite officers despite the fact that there hasn’t been a battle fought under sail for over 150 years. The experience of going to sea teaches leadership lessons that can’t be learned in the classroom.

The language of leadership often has a salty flavor, too. Today, a day does not go by when we don’t hear about “captains of industry” trying to “weather the storm” by seeking a financial “bail out” so that they can “salvage” their companies.

Casting aside the silly string of maritime metaphors, the sea experience has always been and will always be uniquely positioned to train leaders.

There are lots of characteristics shared by maritime professionals and great leaders so let’s take a look at a few.

Preparation – Professional mariners must be well prepared before embarking on a voyage; not only is voyage planning good practice, it’s explicitly written into the STCW code. Great leaders also spend considerable time, effort and resources to plan and prepare their organizations for the future.

Clear Communication – It’s essential aboard ship that communication is clear and concise. When the captain gives a command, the helmsman repeats it. Great leaders spend a lot of time meeting and communicating with their stakeholders. They have to create and articulate a vision that everyone can understand and follow.

Vigilance – Again as a result of good practice and regulation, professional mariners have to be forever vigilant. Rule 5 is one of maritime golden rules: “Every vessel shall at all times maintain a proper look-out by sight and hearing as well as by all available means appropriate in the prevailing circumstances and conditions so as to make a full appraisal of the situation and of the risk of collision.” There is never a good excuse for not posting a proper look out. Great leaders are also always searching the horizon for dangers from which to protect their organizations and opportunities to seize.

Adaptability – Anyone who has ever gone to sea knows that despite the best planning and the sharpest lookout, things can suddenly change and you can find yourself sailing through a whole different set of circumstances. Great leaders know this too and, therefore, they must be flexible and adaptable. Deviation from the plan is often necessary in order to take advantage of an opportunity or, conversely, survive.

Teamwork – Anyone who has ever gone to sea knows who the most important person is on the vessel. The cook. Okay, I’m trying to make a point that the captain can not accomplish the mission alone. While he is the ultimate authority onboard, he has to rely on the competency and support of his officers and crew. Great leaders also understand and respect what their employees bring to the organization. They create an environment in which employees contributions become more than the sum of their parts.

Confidence and optimism – Only a fool would undertake a voyage for which he did not maintain complete confidence and unbridled optimism about its success. The same can be said of great leaders, too. In fact, I believe that this is the most important shared characteristic between professional mariners and great leaders. Human emotions are contagious and as CBC broadcaster Lister Sinclair once said, “A frightened captain makes a frightened crew.”  Great leaders understand that they must be confident in their words and deeds; anything short of this will cause followers to waver and the venture to be threatened.

One of my favorite leadership quotes comes from a speech that President John F. Kennedy was to deliver on the day he was assassinated. “Leadership and learning are indispensible to each other.” Whether you are the CEO of a fortune 500 company or a green deckhand on a Mississippi River towboat, in today’s dynamic and challenging world, you should be constantly working on improving and enhancing your professional and personal leadership skills. There’s no better way to learn about leadership than from real life stories; so if you have one you are interested in sharing, please feel free to email me at peter.mello@sea-feverconsulting.com.