NON-STOP ROCK ‘N’ ROLL

This is one of the stories I shared in my latest book, The Fisherman’s Path to Leadership.

?

I tend to push everything to the center of the table whether I’m at home or even in a fine restaurant – cutlery, glasses, dishes, everything. I did this for about five years; it had become a reflex. I'm not alone in this. Every seafarer has this strange habit as a side effect of working at sea.

People love watching snow-white cruising ships, associating them with pleasure and stability. They look like bright islands that nothing could affect. Fishing boats are very different. They are hardly noticed and don't look so breath-taking. For me, every fishing trawler has a tough personality formed by facing unseen challenges. You may hear music from them but most likely it will be the famous sea shanty ‘What shall we do with a drunken sailor’.

To work on these laborers of the sea, you need to have steel nerves and iron character. Fishermen face things that make astronauts sick. I truly believe that astronauts are not trained to deal with adversity as well as deep-sea fishermen.

The first thing I immediately noticed stepping on board my first ship was a strong vibration. It gets immediately through your bones and into your mind - obsessively and constantly. This constant vibration is normal because mechanisms on board are functioning all the time supplying power, and water, and pumping things in and out. A ship is a living body made of steel that pulses like a human body. And this is when we were still in the harbor and the main engine wasn't started yet.

When this few-thousand-horsepower beast comes to life, the fun begins.

We are off to sea. The beast wakes up all other mechanisms where the hydraulic system plays a squeaky solo, winches squeal every few seconds with every pull of a trawl, something metal rolls on deck drumming its own party, and wind whistles into this cacophony.

From a ship engineer's perspective, if I can't hear some of these noises it means something is very wrong. Noise means everything is working as designed.

The weather is up and waves knock the ship around. For a large 200-meter-long cruiser ship this isn’t worth noticing, whereas a small 40-meter-long trawler notices every wave. Her bow is up in the sky and then deep down into the water. Way up-up-up climbing against the wall of a wave and falling down into the abyss between them. Up and down, up and down, up and down again and again, for days. We are rocking.

Side tilting adds excitement to this dance. Any cruise ship is designed to tilt by 15 degrees on a side at maximum, and passengers still complain. For a trawler, a side tilt of 45 degrees is a working condition. Imagine yourself being rolled like a tumbler doll from left to right and right to left mercilessly. A tilt of a ship is called a roll. So, we are rolling. Constantly.

Phenomenal conditions – we Rock’ n Roll on a vibrating deck accompanied by a noisy heavy-metal band. Balance? What balance? Do you feel sick reading this? This is only a psychological reaction. Relax and keep doing what you do as the fishermen do.

Working in such tough conditions is so demanding. Physical strength is important but mental toughness is key. You may see their scars, but they wouldn’t show their wounds.

You can't be dishonest with the sea. In the ocean, you need to have a brave soul and have a clear conscience.

This is the way of life for fishermen. Their reason to be at sea is greater than the challenges they may face. Their vision of coming back home with a great catch is greater than their problems.

Next time when you see a worn-out fishing vessel, take your hat off and salute this hard worker of the ocean that brings food to the table.

Lessons learned:

-??????? Your vision of success must be greater than your problems.

-??????? You may see the scars that I will get fighting for each and every one of you, but you won’t see my wounds. My leadership is a commitment and sacrifice, not a show.

-??????? Tough conditions are not an excuse for not doing what you are supposed to do. In tough conditions keep your mind balanced.

-??????? When everything works well, the vibration of your organization is normal. Pay attention to the moments when something has gone quiet. This is an alarming signal.

?

?

Fishing is not about fish. It is about interacting and learning from nature. Nature is the wisest leadership coach available and helps one to become better with every interaction. Nature is a source, not a resource.

Living in the era of AI we neglect the fact no AI can beat or will ever change the emotions and feelings of a human connected with nature. We train AI to think like humans, but we can’t train AI to ground itself in nature. It can’t go out and ‘touch grass’.?

How can you expand your mindset? How can you become better as a leader and a person? How do you lead people in challenging situations?

The Fisherman’s Path to Leadership reveals how the secrets of nature can help you to become a better leader. Let’s explore these lessons together.

#vision #leadership #coaching #fishing