A competent leader is one of the key elements of a successful organisation. Good leaders are capable of fostering a positive environment in the workplace. They are also responsible for increasing the overall productivity rate and enhancing the performance quality of the employees under them. The maritime industry is growing rapidly as well as the competition in the industry is also increasing. Therefore, in order to sustain a business in this competitive environment, it is important to be a leader, who is capable of growing and prospering together with the employees.

The growth of the organisation largely depends on the leadership. It can also be observed that a bad leader can become a main cause of employee burn out. This can also result in the reduction in revenue and sales generation. Therefore, it is extremely important for a leader to have positive leadership qualities, which also help the employees to move towards the path of success in life. If you want to become a successful leader of a business in the Maritime industry, it will be important for you to have specific qualities, which we will discuss in the blog below.

The qualities that make a successful maritime leader:

Focus on employee engagement

The employees are considered to be the main pillar of the company. The overall success of the company depends on the production rate and the performance quality of the employees. As a result, it is important for the leader to engage with the employees and prioritise their demands. The employees also need to feel included, and recognised by the leader, which will help them to provide a hundred percent effort in the workplace. A good leader also should foster a positive relationship with the employees, so that they can share their opinions or difficulties. It will be easier for the leaders to identify any difficulties and execute strategies that are beneficial for mitigating these difficulties.

Be authentic

The leaders must represent their authentic selves to the employees. They need to be empathetic as well as patient towards the employees., which can be considered a practice of authenticity. In every small or big difficult situation, the employees need help from their leaders. As a leader, it is your duty to guide each of them, and help to mitigate those difficulties with appropriate ideas and strategies.

Develop a goal

It is also important to remain transparent with the employees. The particular reason behind this particular reason is that it helps you to develop a strong connection with the employees. In addition, you have to be very clear about your vision with the employees, so that they can also make it their goal and obtain success more easily. The leaders also need to be extremely consistent in their work, which will eventually help in providing positive results in the end.

Good communicator

A successful leader is also a good communicator. Appropriate communication skills are one of the main strengths of the leaders because it helps them to maintain a strong connection with the employees. It will help the employees to freely discuss the problems, which is also important for mitigating the issues in the organisation.

Eminent problem solving skills

As a leader, you have to face various types of problems, which can be extremely harmful to your business. In such situations, you have to make appropriate problem solving decisions, which are efficient for resolving the issues. During any crisis situation, you have to be focused on resolving the issues by appropriate means, without hurting the business or the employees. Therefore, you need to have problem solving skills in order to become a successful leader.

All of these are some basic qualities that will help you to become a leader that every employee wants.You can read about Sunil Kapoor, the leader who became a superintendent when he was still a young man, and now he is the director of FML Ship Management, and I caught a glimpse of his true power, beyond the titles and the decades of service, in the book, “Sunil Kapoor- People, Ships, Leadership”.

I have been associated with the maritime industry and working with seafarers for a long time. Therefore, I encourage everyone to become solution-oriented and learn from the examples of other leaders. This can help the young seafarers become people-centric leaders, create a sense of empowerment among themselves, and create a better future in the maritime industry. As I always follow the rule of learning from others lessons, I would suggest you know about the maritime leaders: Sonali Banerjee, Kaushik Seal, and Pradeep Chawla.

Seafarers, you are always in my heart; if you face any difficulty on your way toward a maritime career, feel free to connect with me.