Recognition a benefit for yacht crew

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Take this leadership lesson from Paul Ferdais, Triton leadership columnist and coach.

With crew’s focus on keeping the boat looking its best during the boat show, it’s a good time for yacht crew managers to recognize the specific tasks crew do to get it there.

Recognition from their superior does a couple of things for yacht crew. First, it reinforces what’s expected of everyone on the team. When one crew member is applauded, other team members can compare their work to the work being recognized and know if it meets the standard.

The other benefit of recognizing good deeds is that it creates a spark of initiative. If you acknowledge a senior deckhand for helping to train a new deckhand, they will take the initiative to do it again.

Remember, yacht crew leaders, whatever behavior you pay attention to, you will get more of. By publicly recognizing your crew for the good work they do, you’ll get domino effects well into the future.

Paul Ferdais writes the Taking the Helm column each month in The Triton. A former chief officer, he is CEO of The Marine Leadership Group, which delivers leadership training workshops and coaching for crew.