“The 24 minutes principle”

Working with people from diverse backgrounds can be challenging, or it can be highly rewarding and fruitful. It all depends on how we perceive others and how we challenge our understanding of things we take for granted. So how can we get a better understanding of people with diverse backgrounds? Try spending 24 minutes in 24 hours engaging in conversations with your colleagues, which can pave the way for a better trust culture and a better working life at sea or ashore.

When I was a senior officer, during cargo operations at a port, there was a particularly dangerous cargo, which I understood was not supposed to be carried on board our ship as per our approved dangerous cargo plan. The junior officer on watch, however, was confident we could carry this cargo, which was how he understood the plan. After a short discussion, I took a decision, and we sailed out without the cargo, which after all proved to be the wrong decision. We could, in fact, have carried the cargo. The junior officer was correct, and I failed to listen and understand the issue from his perspective. This incident motivated me to work towards a better understanding of people. As it takes time to get to know, to listen and to understand other people and at the same time do your daily tasks on board or ashore when working with people - especially people with diverse backgrounds, I practiced some easily applicable tools in my daily work. My personal favourite tool that I practice and find highly effective is called “The 24 minutes principle”.

24-MINUTES-PRINCIPLE FOR A BETTER UNDERSTANDING

In any 24 hours, I guarantee that we tend to spend at least 24 minutes doing things that are not that important or relevant. So, the task is to find ways to spend at least 24 minutes in these 24 hours effectively. My suggestion is that you have a conversation with the people in your team for 24 minutes, engaging them through informal communication by simply asking, for example, how their day is progressing. You may spend one minute with one person or two minutes with the other. What you get is a snapshot of what is going on at your workplace on a given day. Spending 24 minutes will help you get a better understanding of your colleagues. A better understanding helps build a higher trust culture on board. And with a high trust culture, incidents like the one I mentioned is less likely to occur.

THE 5-FINGER-MODEL

When implementing the 24-minutes principle, remember to engage with the person on his or her terms and with curiosity. I like to think of a diverse team like the five fingers on my hand. A person (usually) has five unique fingers on each hand. Imagine you want to make one ring that fits all your fingers. It will not fit. This means that you need to make one unique ring that fits each finger. In other words, one solution does not apply to all. The same applies to people in your workplace. We continuously work with diverse people. Diversity is more than just nationality and cultural backgrounds. Diversity also includes knowledge, skills, gender, experience, personality and behaviours. Thus, every person is unique, just like your fingers and brings something valuable through experience to your team. Spending a couple of minutes a day with a colleague - one to one - at work – or even off-work will help create a better understanding of each experience and competencies.

PREVENT ERRORS

Had I used the 24-minutes-principle and considered the 5-finger-model, I would have taken the time to listen to the junior officer on watch. I would have learnt more about his skills; perhaps he had previous experience handling such cargoes. This would have helped me in my decision-making process. This is why it is important to spend those 24 minutes with everyone in your diverse team. This approach builds and sustains trust in your workplace. It gives you a better understanding of people with diverse backgrounds. This is something you can start right now and that can help you become a better leader and person on board or ashore.

All it takes is 24 minutes in 24 hours.