Kind Leadership workshop sets practical course to improve safety culture, reduce risk and strengthen retention

Following growing recognition that Kind Leadership is essential to maritime excellence, leaders from across the sector gathered in London earlier in November to discuss how ‘we can bring about and then support a lasting industry cultural change’.

The Kind Leadership Workshop, jointly developed by the Maritime Professional Council (MPC), The Nautical Institute and CHIRP, brought together shipowners, mariners, regulators and training bodies to shape a clear and achievable implementation pathway.

Building on the 2023 Kind Leadership Report findings, which recognised that 88% of maritime professionals see a place for Kind Leadership in the industry, workshop participants agreed that Kind Leadership is not a rigid model, but a set of behaviours built on empathy, trust, accountability and steady leadership.

The workshop’s outcome is a practical “Implementation Passage Plan” that sets out how Kind Leadership can become part of everyday operational activities. The plan focuses on developing easy-to-implement training modules for leaders, managers and crews, measuring results accurately and encouraging visible leadership commitment to these activities.

Mentoring, integration into existing technical training through toolbox talks and soft-skills sessions, direct support to cadets through micro-learning and clear communication tools are core elements in the implementation of the plan. Measurement will focus on behavioural indicators developed through surveys, welfare and engagement levels, impact on operational safety, performance and retention.

The overall message from the workshop underlined the fact that a learning culture outperforms a blame culture and Kind Leadership provides a practical route to safer, more resilient and more attractive working environments, improving retention of talent and attraction of new hires.

Captain John Lloyd FNI, CEO of The Nautical Institute said:

“The workshop’s discussions clearly demonstrated that while regulation is important, it is people who make ships safer. That requires leadership driven from the top and a culture that supports and inspires everyone, at sea and ashore, to work together with clarity, trust and shared purpose. As we improve that alignment, we create safer operations, better working environments and a maritime sector where people truly want to belong.”

Next Steps

Over the coming months, MPC and participating partners will:

Work with organisations willing to adopt and pilot the suggested framework

Capture measurable results and develop case studies to share the knowledge

Support mentoring initiatives, soft-skills training and a network of ambassadors

Share guidance, tools and learning resources across the sector

Collaboration, transparency and documented steady progress are at the heart of this initiative. Kind Leadership is not a distraction from operational excellence; it is increasingly recognised as its foundation.

To listen to industry leaders explaining what Kind Leadership means on board, please click this link. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yplz5OU-_D4