Original Photo by LA(Phot) Nicky Wilson, edited by author

Leadership Skills from the High Seas: How the Royal Navy leads it’s way to success

“The only safe ship in a storm is leadership.”

Faye Wattleton

I’ve been fortunate enough to serve seven years in a leadership position in Her Majesty’s Royal Navy.

You may have an image in your head of aggressive leadership when you think of military leadership. This is not the case, the modern military leader is respectful, open-minded and strives to be beyond reproach. In my entire career I have not once had to raise my voice at a subordinate, yet I still get the best out of my team.

It doesn’t matter if:

• You’re aiming to become a leader
• You’ve recently been promoted to a leadership role
• You’ve just been moved to a new team in a leadership role
• You’re an experienced leader

You can improve your leadership skills by absorbing these Naval leadership do’s and don’ts.

Don’t

1. Don’t be rude or sarcastic — This will cause your people to resent you and put a barrier up against open communication. Be calm, professional, and courteous at all times.
2. Don’t have cheap laughs or amuse yourself at the expense of your subordinates — They’re not there for your amusement, always show subordinates the same respect you expect them to show you.
3. Don’t change the way you speak to people based on their gender identity — Your team will lose respect for you if they don’t believe you’re treating them all as equals.
4. Don’t reprimand junior leaders in front of their subordinates — It’s humiliating and negatively effects their capability to lead their subordinates. Take them to one side and explain their shortfalls and how to rectify them.
5. Don’t try to be popular — This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be approachable and friendly. Popularity and respect come with time, don’t force it.
6. Avoid being overly familiar — Some distance between yourself and your subordinates allows for boundaries and will make it easier to lead your team.
7. Don’t tolerate any form of discrimination or harassment — Enforce the policies you have in place and have the moral courage to call people out on inappropriate behaviour. Correct unprofessional behaviour so that it doesn’t happen again.

Do

1. Say good morning to your team with a smile on your face — It’s simple to do, let’s your team know your approachable and makes sure you get off to a good start. There’s nothing worse than seeing your boss storm in with a face like thunder first thing in the morning.
2. Take every opportunity to speak to your team — Get to know them. What do they like? What don’t they like? Where do they see themselves going in your company? The more you know about your team, the more effectively you can lead them.
3. Be consistent — There’s nothing worse than an erratic leader, by being consistent your team will know they can approach you when required without having to gauge your mood.
4. Have the moral courage to deal firmly with transgressions — Sometimes people need telling to stop doing something. Nipping it in the bud will prevent bigger problems later on.
5. Correct mistakes in a polite, professional manner — People make mistakes. When they happen, take them to one side, explain what went wrong and how to fix it.
6. When appropriate, join in the fun — Sometimes it’s good to get involved in the fun side of things, just make sure it at the detriment of your employees.
7. Expect the best out of your people, and get them to live up to it — Lead by example, when people see you giving maximum effort then they will too. Showing confidence in your people will make them rise to the challenge of being worthy of it.
8. Praising a job well done — It's easy to focus on the negatives, make sure you let your team know when they’ve done well.
9. Support subordinate leaders in getting the proper results from their subordinates — It’s difficult being a leader, especially if you’re new to it. Helping your junior leaders will make them grow into more confident and capable leaders.
10. Be polite — Good manners go a long way to fostering an open culture and will ensure people are not afraid to come to you with problems.

This is not a singular path to success as a leader. You must adjust your methods to best fit your team and the way you want to lead them.

If you take away one thing from this article, then let it be this:

• Leadership is a privilege.
• You serve those under you, not the other way around.
• Focus on your people instead of yourself and be worthy of the honor of leadership.