Supporting the
Without appropriate guidance and professional support,
your Captains and leaders burn out. Their confidence corrodes and decision-making falters. Pressure builds, performance drops and emotions spill over, leaving your organisation at risk and unnecessarily exposed.
“John is a skilful Coach who has enabled me to explore pathways and unveil solutions to a variety of situations, using perspectives from his own experience along the way.
Having an alternative perspective offers senior mariners with an opportunity to secure their sustainability, sustain their performance and widen their gaze, ready for the challenges of Command.”
Captain Aureliano Mazzella, Cunard Lines, UK.
Coaching for captains®
A service dedicated to supporting the development, sustainability and wellbeing of your newly promoted, or soon-to-be promoted, high performing leaders.
Why choose Coaching for Captains®?
No one is born a Captain. The highest performers and most respected leaders are those who realise it takes focus, belief and commitment to master their craft. They recognise Captaincy is only the beginning of a new and often challenging journey.
Building upon technical certification and professional licenses, they learn from early mistakes, collecting tools and techniques along the way. And while for some the sea is smooth, for many it is rough.
When asked if they’d do it all again, the answer is invariably, “Yes, but not without support”.
What will coachees gain?
Coaching for Captains® combines high performance experience with specialist coaching expertise to bridge the delta between technical competency and time in Command.
Coachees develop the clarity, confidence and focus that enables them to perform effectively, operate sustainably, safely, and with energy in reserve ready to deal with onboard emergencies and significant maritime incidents.
What will your
organisation gain?
Your organisation will reduce the operational risk associated with more junior Captains. In addition, your crew will benefit from your Captains’ improved management techniques, making it easier to attract and retain the talent you need to meet your clients’ expectations.
“He has helped shift my mindset from ‘survive’ to ‘thrive’ while opening my mind with fresh approaches and perspectives on leadership, especially when in Command at sea.
The result has lifted my eyes to the horizon to develop a more strategic perspective, while reminding me of the value of empowering and entrusting the team to manage the details.”
Captain Gabriele Russo, MSC Cruise Lines, Italy.
Topics for exploration
Every session is tailored to the coachee’s needs and experience. Typically, we explore the following topics:
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Awareness
Discover and develop self to lead as the best version of oneself.
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Change
Recognise change and how to manage it to optimise opportunities.
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Communication
Secure engagement and influence to ensure others listen.
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Crisis
Distil fact from fiction to triage tasks and direct resources effectively.
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DNA
Discover and explore how beliefs and values impact our decisions.
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Foster
Apply tools and techniques to hone performance and harness potential.
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Outlook
Discover how to develop capacity while keeping an eye on the horizon.
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Trust
Learn to empower rather than enable to unlock the talent in others.
Logistics
Coaching for Captains® is a one-to-one service delivered fortnightly using encrypted teleconference means. Each session lasts up to 90 minutes.
Sessions are available for Captains and high performing, high potential leaders, at the beginning of their last year as a Deputy and throughout their first year in Command.
Find out more
Get in touch to learn more about retaining and developing your most senior leaders.
Sounding board Service
A safe space for your senior talent to discuss challenges and explore pathways to energise engagement and sustain performance.
Why choose the Sounding Board Service?
It can get lonely at the top. Despite – or perhaps because of – years of service, many experienced Captains find themselves without anyone to ask for support or advice.
The Sounding Board Service has been created for your most senior talent.
This is for those with a high level of technical ability who may need to develop their leadership style to adapt to modern working practices and manage the expectations of a newer workforce.
What will participants
gain?
Participants benefit from a safe space, a haven free from judgement. Here they can ask questions and work through challenges, face change and learn how to get the best from their teams in a rapidly shifting workplace.
Should they be approaching the end of their career, participants can use this service to discuss end-of-career preparation and planning.
What will your
organisation gain?
Your organisation will benefit from better engagement and stronger retention of these talented Captains, while simultaneously getting the best from these individuals as they adopt new tactics and techniques to manage their team. This in turn supports future staff development and maintains smooth professional relationships onboard without the need for shoreside intervention.
“As Captains, it may seem that we possess all of the pieces of the leadership puzzle. Sometimes we feel we do, but sometimes we don’t.
With support from John, I’ve found ways to dig deeper, using my mind, and my team, to find and fit them back together, when otherwise they may have felt lost.”
Captain Nicola Gravante, MSC Cruise Lines, Italy.
Topics for exploration
Every session is tailored to the Captain’s needs and challenges. Typically, we explore the following topics:
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Advice
Leading self and leading others.
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Change
Discuss methods and modes to counter challenge.
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Clarity
Consider perspectives, crystallise thoughts and regain clarity.
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Confidence
Restore belief, regain confidence and find faith post-incident.
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Conflict
Develop relationships, embrace challenges and mitigate conflict.
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Decision making
Carve out options and shape strategy in a confidential setting.
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Exploration
Transform issues, risks and threats into opportunities.
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Resilience
Develop systems and processes to avoid fatigue.
Logistics
The Sounding Board Service is delivered as a one-to-one service on a two weekly basis using encrypted teleconference means. Each session lasts up to 90 minutes.
Sessions are available for your more senior Captains, Chief Engineers and Hotel Directors in their mid to late careers.
Find out more
Get in touch to learn more about retaining and developing your most senior leaders.
Special Advisor
Considered coaching, mindful mentoring and objective advice combine to turnaround team performance.
Why choose the Special Advisor Service?
This is a trouble shooting service whose appreciable approach will turn your team around.
We listen, learn and observe to understand your vision, values and what forms your DNA, before taking time to distill fact from fiction and identify the root cause.
When you’re under threat, facing challenge or navigating change, it’s difficult to see the woods for the trees.
And so from a place of context we combine considered insights, experience and specialist expertise to coach, mentor and navigate your teams back to where they should be.
What will your
organisation gain?
The Special Advisor Service provides politics-free observation, coaching, mentoring and recommendations to enable meaningful change. This will support your organisation by providing:
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Clear thinking
a confidential conduit to call upon when you need it most.
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Crisis management
a calming influence, considered counsel and a suite of proven solutions to get you and your team back on your feet.
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Orbital advice
equipping you with a framework, systems and processes to counter threats, navigate uncertainty and secure sustainable growth.
“Using an appreciative approach, he quickly grasped the challenges we faced, and by objectively challenging our perceptions enabled us to reframe our thinking. Through his support we were able to swiftly assess our risk while also finding fresh opportunity.
I can highly recommend John for his expertise as a Special Advisor who brings real-world experience and delivers sustainable results.”
Ian Gardiner, MHI Vestas, UK.
How does it work?
Delivered onboard, up to 5 days at a time, I shadow your Command Team, your Captain and senior leaders, to listen and observe the challenges they are encountering.
I share my insight with the Command Team to secure an aligned perspective and purpose which we then use to drive collective performance.
Logistics
From initial observation through to guided discussion the Special Advisor Service is delivered over 3 to 5 days depending upon context and needs.
The onboard team receive a synopsis of actions which is copied to their shore management office for full transparency.
Find out more
Get in touch to learn more about how I can support onboard performance.
