In my client work with businesses, one of the things we look for are the key competencies for managers and employees to have that will help an organisation realise its collective potential.
Whilst many organisations have long lists of competencies that they say are important, the reality is that there only four competencies that will make a difference, and because of this, are the ones that CEO’s need to look for when hiring. The four competencies are, Thinking, Influencing, Achieving, and Leading. These four competencies are the ones that owners and Captains should be looking for in crew as well. There is logic behind why.
The owners, the Captain, and the guests onboard a vessel have expectations about what and how crew should perform. These expectations can often be varied and different, and regardless what the explicit, written expectations are, rest assured, there is another set of implicit expectations. Being able to show you can do more than just follow the rules is how you meet and exceed implicit expectations. This is where the four competencies of Thinking, Influencing, Achieving, and Leading become important.
Thinking is all about be aware of what is going on, being conscious about why it could be happening, and being able to recognise what this all might lead to. Whether the “what is going on” is from other crew, the guests, or some external source, being able to understand a situation can be the differentiator between a good guest experience and a devastating one.
Influencing is important, as it is the way that we are able to help others understand the problems, challenges, opportunities, and threats that may be at play on your vessel. If you aren’t able to influence others to be aware of what you see, there is a good chance that there will be little you can do about it.
Achieving is often misconstrued. Achieving isn’t just getting things done. The competency of achieving is all about getting things done within the values and policies that you work within onboard…and on shore. Being able to “tick the box” of doing something isn’t acceptable if by doing it, it casts a bad image on the owner or Captain, or the entire guest experience.
Leading is another one of those things that is often misconstrued. Many people would like to assume that the job of leading onboard is held by the Captain. From one perspective, this is correct, but the reality is that all the crew of a vessel can demonstrate leadership in what they do, and in how they do it.
By showing that you are demonstrably thinking, influencing, achieving, and leading, you do several things. First, you are showing your commitment to ensuring a positive guest experience. Second, it shows that you recognise you are a member of a team and actively work to support the team effort. Third, it shows that are able to make the right decisions, for the right reasons, at the right times. As a guest, or an owner or Captain, seeing that the crew are focused on these factors is a good way to show they are adding value, as well as it demonstrating that hiring them was a good decision.
By Dr James B Rieley
+34 620 224 341
