When Leadership Means Following
You may be a leader in one environment, but when the environment changes, it’s important to recognise and respect the authority you are under.
I learnt this lesson first-hand during my time working on a commercial fishing vessel in 2020.
In my usual working environment, I’m a facilitator. I’m comfortable questioning how things are done, challenging thinking and suggesting different ways of working.
On the fishing vessel, I wasn't a facilitator. I wasn’t in a leadership position.
We operated on rosters around the clock, and sleep was valuable, particularly when working long hours and overnight shifts. At one point, four of us were rostered on for a cleaning task.
Looking at the job in front of us, I questioned whether we really needed all four people. Why not have three of us complete the cleaning and let the fourth person get some extra sleep?
From my perspective, it made sense and even felt innovative. The work would still get done. It seemed like a simple improvement to the way we were working.
So, I asserted myself and suggested we change it.
What I hadn't understood was that the skipper had a reason for structuring the roster that way, particularly when it came to the demands of the overnight shifts and Health and Safety protocols.
I was looking at one task and thinking about how I could make it more efficient. The skipper was looking at the whole operation.
It was a valuable leadership lesson.
Leadership looks different when the environment changes
My leadership experience hadn't disappeared because I stepped onto the vessel. But my role, my level of authority and my understanding of the environment had changed.
There is absolutely a place for questioning how things are done or making suggestions. Good leaders should be curious and willing to challenge processes that aren't working.
But before doing that, we also need to understand the environment we're operating in, why a structure exists and where our own authority sits within it.
Sometimes leadership is about stepping forward and challenging the status quo. Other times, it's about listening, learning and respecting the experience and authority of those who understand the environment better than you do.
Knowing the difference is an important part of leadership too.
I'd love to hear your experience: when have you found yourself leading outside your usual environment, and what did it teach you about when to step forward and when to listen?
The video below is a short snippet from an interview I did, reflecting on my time working on a commercial fishing vessel in 2020.
While the environment was unique, the leadership lessons and reflections have stayed with me.
Leadership doesn't happen in a handbook. While frameworks and policies provide direction, real leadership is shaped by people, context and the ability to adapt when circumstances change.
Blog Cover photo by KOBU Agency on Unsplash