The Captain of a Sinking Ship

De: Dode Sescri

Narrado por: Virtual Voice

When running an organization, things go wrong all the time. A lot of managers complain so much about the work they do because every working day of their lives is always a fight for survival. They feel like going to the office every day to try and rescue a sinking ship. Just like seafaring captains, our leaders go through the same kind of struggles every day. Managing a ship, especially a huge tanker or cargo vessel is such an incredible task, first of all, the captain has to make sure all cargo is carefully loaded onto their ship, secondly, they have to meticulously manoeuvre their ships out of the harbor so that it can safely sail into the open waters without sustaining a single scratch on its hull, thirdly they have to constantly watch out for storms when they are deep into treacherous oceans, getting caught up in a storm is a captain's worst nightmare. Mega waves that are high and powerful enough can very easily tear up the ship's hull into two pieces. Losing the ship due to damage by bad weather is a constant worry that every seagoing captain has to deal with on a daily basis. There are also threats of fires onboard. The captain has to keep his limited crew running up and down all the time so that they can spot and extinguish any fires that may show up on the ship. Fire hazard destroys precious cargo and can sometimes cause the sinking of the ship if it gets badly damaged. Not forgetting the threats of pirates, the high seas are full of heavily armed and extremely dangerous pirates that are eager to hold the ship, its captain, and crew for ransom. The economic hardships of the twenty-first century have forced certain communities to resort to piracy as a means of sustaining their lives.

Going out to the sea every day is so perilous for a captain and his crew, he has to be super watchful and work with extreme professional efficiency, for the decisions he makes have long-term impacts on his crew and the people whom he carries the precious cargo for. He has to respond to emergencies on board at lightning speeds and with technical expertise, his mind is tormented by the thought of being ready to avert any arising disaster at any hour of the day, every time he leaves the port, he holds his breath and crosses his fingers, hoping and praying that he will reach the other end of the world safely, it's only after he safely docks his ship on the destination port and sets foot on land that he finally lets off a sigh of relief. His job gives him such a demanding and extremely difficult life, yet he manages to overcome it all.

many folks today in management roles are living the life of a seafaring leader, it's like every day of their career they are worrying so much and working their asses off just like the captain of a sinking ship. They are plunged into a world where their primary goal is to deal with other people's problems. Dealing with stubborn subordinates, motivating them to do a better job, and dealing with outside forces that are beyond their realm of control, things such as fierce competition and rowdy government institutions. Outside pressure is like a deadly disease that wears out all managers and causes them to age too quickly, it leads them to an early and bitter retirement. They are expected to perform nevertheless, however great the pressure may be and however enormous and sensitive the responsibility may be, you still have to wake up every day and go to that dreaded office you have come to hate so much.

Every leader has to somehow act like ''The Captain of a Sinking Ship.''