With the expertise of the council members, the Maritime Professional Council (MPC) has made strides in publishing its first report on Kind Leadership. Circulating within the maritime world it has been met with many welcomed responses and now moves forward with further research. The authors have recently been invited to speak at the forthcoming HEAG 24 seminar and we are looking into how we provide solutions to this long-standing challenge.

All this comes just as the MPC celebrates its 1st anniversary since its launch in the Autumn last year. The council currently comprises of nine member organisations and two supporting organisations, providing a united central point from which professional opinions and expertise can be offered.

Highlighting a few striking points from our Kind Leadership Report, “we need management training to provide the skills to empower staff to challenge, question, intervene and stop work.” A large shipowner, as part of the input into changing its culture, reported that it focused on “ensuring employees felt that their welfare, and going home in one piece every night, was genuinely management’s priority”. This translated into changes in operating approach that improved performance and profit margins.

The research has clearly identified that leadership is also about ethics. A group of leadership consultants, working across different industries said, “Start with doing no harm – this puts you in the lane of ethical leadership. It’s not scorecards, and best practice: It’s investing in people that allows discussion and the capture and sharing of knowledge.”

To carry this project forward the MPC now seeks direct input from seafarers and stakeholders. Harvesting their ideas and solutions will be invaluable, will move the debate forward and enable MPC to suggest a ‘passage plan’ that facilitates real industry progress and success. Click to read the Report.

Meanwhile, the MPC is continuing to input its expertise to Government and Industry organisations on a wide range of issues affecting the maritime sector. With the support of our member organisations we are able to raise our concerns to the Government with the dangers associated with Enclosed Spaces. Among other projects, we are currently carrying out research into the dangers associated with Lithium Batteries. We continue to have members involved with the Maritime Skills commission Cadet training review, the HEAG Ship-Shore working group and the IMO HEIG.