Captain, My Captain

I used to have a Captain’s license to operate large and small ships. To get that license I went to a 4-year merchant marine college that was year-round. I studied for a business degree during the day, worked on the ship on nights and weekends, and went to sea during the summer.

This granted me the ability to work on any size tanker, container ship, or cruise ship as an officer, and as a Captain on ships up to 100 tons.

To get such a license you have to learn how to handle emergency responses at sea, including ship fires, evacuations onto lifeboats, and medical situations.

One lesson that was repeatedly demonstrated to us was how to take command and control of an emergency.

Staying calm is always the most important thing, the best Captains always stay calm even in the craziest situations. If they lose their cool, then everyone around them starts to lose their cool, and that’s when things get dangerous and out of control.

Another great trait of a good captain is not getting caught up in doing all the tasks that need to be done, because then you can’t see what else needs to get done. You need see the big picture so you can make the best decisions.

A good friend of mine is a Fire Chief, and he says the same thing. Staying calm is critical, and avoiding the temptation to run in and physically help with the fire, because if he does he is instantly dismissed as the leader on the scene, and another chief is forced to take over because he can’t efficiently direct everyone on scene if he is in the house fighting the fire.

I try to remember these leadership lessons when I am dealing with my own fires because it’s super easy to get sucked into little bs things that distract you from your overall mission.

When you get sucked into the drama, you can’t see what needs to happen to solve the drama.

Taking a step back to look at the whole scene and all the moving parts is how you get the clarity you need to solve the problem.

This is easier said than done. Which is why I’ll sometimes mutter to myself, “Don’t get sucked in, Mike.”

Part of being a good Captain is also not avoiding the issue, and especially never abandoning ship while others are depending on you.

Remember that Captain of the cruise ship that went aground somewhere in the Mediterranean? The boat started sinking and the Captain was one of the first people off the vessel while passengers and crew were still stranded on that sinking ship. I think it was a Greek Cruise Line. Yikes. Let’s just call him Captain Coward.

We can all learn from that, because when things get tough or scary, it’s all too common for humans to ignore a giant hole in their ship, or worse, run away from it.

It’s your ship, be a good captain.

The next time something shitty happens, (and it’s only a matter of time), strive to stay calm and do not get sucked into drama, so you can guide your ship and everyone on board to safe waters.