“Aye aye Captain” - Leadership from blue water to the boardroom

“Aye aye Captain” is one of my favourite leadership quotes and, arguably, not really a quote at all. It cuts through the 1,010,000,000 Google results for leadership quotes; quotes attributed to management thinkers, gurus, politicians, entrepreneurs, and leaders. It’s simple, direct, timeless, understandable, and relatable.

Counterintuitive to the usual leadership quotes it’s just as applicable from the aft deck of a sailing ship to the conversations in the boardroom. For me, Esther Merle Clark, there is greatness and beauty in simplicity.?

Aye aye captain (yes, yes captain) comes from the French “oui oui capitaine”. It confirms that that an order is understood. To be a leader, you need followers. Plain and simple. Ideally, these are people that follow, respect and are inspired by you.?

When I write, read and experience great leadership it’s a very circular experience. It’s Alice in Wonderland combined with Formula1. A plethora of top tips, key traits, books and workshops. Search in another language or culture or subtheme and you find even more perspectives and resources. I’m reminded of a childhood line that I used to repeat with my four sisters aboard the 111-foot tall ship we called home…

It was a dark and stormy night, and the captain said the mate “tell us a story” so the mate began…it was a dark and stormy night, and the captain said the mate “tell us a story” so the mate began.. (and around and around it goes).

Back to leadership. When it’s dark and stormy, when something goes awry we look to strong leaders to guide us through. On board a ship, we look to the captain to bark commands, set a course, steady the ship, and get us to our destination. Simple yet difficult. Simple yet beautiful. The only way he or she can do this is by crew members following orders, shouting “aye aye Captain” or by repeating, for example, “hard to Starboard” before and after the action of turning the wheel hard to the left.?

The more I read about and experience great leadership the more I realise how important “aye aye Captain” really is. It’s someone saying: “I trust you” “I understand you” “I know you are in charge and I’m OK with that” “I don’t need explanations right now” “I believe in you” “I want you to lead me”.

There is a tendency to think about leadership from the leader’s perspective rather than what it means for the follower. Clear guidance, inspiring vision, respect and love – that’s what is needed. It's not about feathering our cap, speeches and accolades of titles, it's leading without the title.

In closing, I share with you a letter my father, Captain Martyn J. Clark, wrote to the “Swifties” or fellow sailors of the topsail schooner “Pacific Swift” at the outbreak of the pandemic. Thanks Dad and “aye aye Captain”!

Dear fellow voyagers,

In these difficult times I reflect on our voyage together and how it prepared us for the challenges that lie ahead.

Isolation

In the long night watches, alone in the bow and drenched with spray, we looked up and there was a star to navigate by.?Far astern was the dim shape of a fellow Swifty steering the course, the officer of the watch briefly lit up by?the light from the aft cabin, emerging from checking the charts.?Alone perhaps, but with a job to do.

Patience

Crossing and re-crossing?the mightiest ocean on earth taught us patience, not panic.?When storms arose it was okay to be fearful. But scrambling aloft to furl the topsails, despite the howling wind and flogging canvas, taught us that we can overcome fear and panic.

Equality

Never mind the colour of your hair, your?bank balance, the high marks you got at school.?At sea we were all equal, and our feet smelt the same!

Teamwork

No sail would?be hoisted, no anchor weighed without all hands dedicated to the task.?We worked together then and will do so now.

Calm

Every storm at sea, every howling gale or typhoon ends sometime, even though, in the thick of it, you think it never will.?This too will pass.?Calm will return.

Our time on the?Swift?taught us many things, above all to love one another: to share, not to hoard; to be kind, not hurtful; and when one of us fell ill, to stand his or her watch.

Fare forward, dear friends, there are darkening clouds on the horizon.?But we are students of the?Swift?and the sea... and class is now over.

Skipper

*****

Esther Clark?is author and outstanding contributor to Forbes and the World Economic Forum (WEF). Follow @ClarkEsther