On the 19th June 2024, the Maritime Professional Council of the UK (MPC) held its first Kind Leadership Workshop in London in partnership with the Nautical Institute and CHIRP Maritime.

Kindness is the key enabler that allows open, transparent and people-centric leadership practices which can have a hugely positive impact on safe and sustainable operations across the maritime industry.

During the interactive workshop delegates discussed how important it is to:

– Clearly define the attributes of Kind Leadership and where/how it adds value
– Integrate Kind Leadership in cadet and early career training and experiences
– Embed Kind Leadership in corporate practices and work towards shifting cultural attitudes to crew and staff management
– Take action to remove existing barriers to its natural adoption both on board and ashore
– Agree a set of actions and timelines for next steps and industry implementation

As MPCUK Vice Chair Captain John Lloyd FNI mentioned in his closing remarks, “Rules are not going to make the difference; people are going to make the difference. Change is in people; change is in us, and that’s the opportunity we now have.”