THE LEADERSHIP OF CAPTAIN PHILLIPS

Lessons In Leadership From Captain Phillips

SYNOPSYS OF THE STORY

In April 2009, the U.S. containership Maersk Alabama sails toward its destination on a day that seems like any other. Suddenly, Somali pirates race toward the vessel, climb aboard and take everyone hostage. The captain of the ship, Richard Phillips (Tom Hanks), looks to protect his crew from the hostile invaders, and their leader, Muse (Barkhad Abdi). The pirates are after millions of dollars, and Phillips must use his wits to make sure everyone survives and returns home safely.

LESSON LEARNT FROM THE STORY

Leadership means a process of social influence in which one person can enlist the aid and support of others in the accomplishment of a common task. Movie ‘Captain Phillips’ shows a lot of leadership lessons from beginning to the end. The film is directed by Paul Greengrass and it chronicles the 2009 seajacking of the freighter ship Maersk Alabama by Somali pirates. Captain of the ship, Richard Phillips, played by Tom Hanks, appears as very serious, strict, and reserved man. Phillips is a real life leader, not a typical hero that you find in lot of other leadership films. He is not claimed to be a soldier nor face hostile attack. He is just an ordinary well-trained captain who is forced to confront pirates by chance. Despite under the breathtaking and crisis situation, as a leader of his ship, Captain Phillips bravely steps up and makes immediate decisions and unites crewmembers.

 Richard Phillip is unselfish person who has high awareness of responsibility of his profession. He encourages his crewmembers to not lose hope by stating that “If the pirates find you, remember, you know the ship, they don’t.” and “Stick together and we will be alright.” These strong words united crewmembers and made it possible for them to act in a body. When everybody was in panic, he volunteers to be taken as hostage in exchange for his ship. He cares for his crews and even shows mercy for the pirates, for example treating the youngest pirate’s foot and having pity on the Somali people’s situation caused by excess fishery by American fishing companies. Sensing what is on other people’s mind and being able to see things objectively and from different point of views is a critical skill for leaders.

Even under the most dangerous and unexpected situations, true leaders calmly take initiative and improvise creative stratagems. Not only taking care of the little things like people’s feeling but he can also interpret the situation calmly and be able to see the big picture. Knowing that the Maersk Alabama was entering hostile waters with a history of piracy, he senses the danger when he witnesses two skiffs approaching to his ship. He quickly reports to USS Bainbridge about the situation and commands his crewmembers to avoid having pirates on abroad. It is clearly shown how prepared crewmembers are for emergency situation and their teamwork is in good shape. They also take turns to help each other out while risking their lives. I learned that under emergency situation, no one can assume what is going to happen and that is exactly why it is important to have advanced training and planning beforehand. Of course, it is also important to trust members of your team and stick to the plan.

In conclusion, as a servant leader, Captain Phillips protects crewmembers on his ship with his immediate decision and outstanding insight. He cares about every individual on his ship and has high responsibility of his profession. These skills are critical to leaders and in the movie, ‘Captain Phillips”, it is clearly shown that he is a good example of true leader and also a hero in real life.

 

NOTE:

THE FILM ARE MAKING BASED FROM THE TRUE STORY.

STEVE PARRISH ,FORBES CONTRIBUTOR COMMENT :

I had the good fortune to speak at a conference where Captain Phillips was the keynote speaker. For those who don’t recall the incident, a U.S. merchant marine cargo ship was attacked by Somali pirates; and, in order to save the crew, the captain of the ship ended up being taken as a hostage in a lifeboat with the pirates. After a torturous standoff between the pirates and the military, Navy Seal snipers ultimately killed the pirates and rescued Captain Phillips.

REAL PERSON OF CAPT. PHILLIPS
RICHARD PHILLIPS

Following the Captain’s speech at the conference, I had the pleasure of joining him for a photo-shoot and discussion. Between what I learned that day, and from subsequently reading his book, I have learned some lessons in leadership from Captain Phillips’ example. I’m not attempting to lionize the man – Tom Hanks took care of that in the movie of the same name. I’m simply reporting the lessons in leadership I learned from his words and actions that business owners can apply to their own situations.You don’t have to be friends with your crew, but you have to earn their trust. Following the piracy incident, there has been legal wrangling between some of the crew and the company that owns the ship. Captain Phillip’s personal character has been drawn into the dispute. What I can glean out from all this is the captain was a tough and demanding leader. Even he admits that he wasn’t always likeable, but he was predictable. His philosophy was to leave those who were doing their jobs alone, and tear into those who weren’t. Granted, this is too harsh an approach for a business, but it provides a framework for how to lead in stressful conditions. This unarmed civilian ship was essentially steaming through a warzone, and the ship’s leader had to make challenging decisions and strict demands.  Someone had to be in charge. When the Somali’s attacked, it is clear that during the crisis the captain had his crew’s trust and they followed his orders.Your job as a leader is to anticipate. Economists commonly categorize business conditions as “headwinds” or “tailwinds.” For a merchant mariner, these terms aren’t mere analogies; they’re real conditions that have real consequences. Captain Phillips not only had the meteorological challenge of balancing his company’s delivery demands with the safety of his boat and crew – you don’t sail into a hurricane in order to get the cargo to port on time. He also had to deal with how close he could navigate the Somali coast and still stay out of reach of pirates. Whether it was weather conditions or possible buccaneers, for this leader there was no defined line between safety and peril. As Captain, he had to anticipate the worst and make sure his crew was prepared for it. Because of the dangerous waters, he had the crew perform several unannounced safety drills; one just minutes before the pirates were detected on radar. His crew knew what to do if attacked.

The leader’s behaviors influence how others act. This involves more than a leader setting a good example. In Captain Phillip’s case, he had to show confidence to his crew and defiance to his captors. After the pirates seized the ship, the crew had to work without a playbook. Through radio transmissions and the Captain’s own acts, the team witnessed their leader’s spirit of confidence, and they assumed that same spirit in making their own smart decisions. Once the Captain became a hostage, he exhibited indomitable defiance to his captors. Not only did he need the pirates to be constantly off-guard; in order to survive this stressful ordeal, he also needed to maintain his own sense of confidence and control. He refused to submit to the will of his captors.Arrogance, fear, hesitancy, recklessness — all these are human emotions, and can be natural displays by the head of an organization. The trouble is these behaviors can set the tone for others. A successful leader must avoid the temptation to just “act natural” and, instead, must exhibit the behaviors that produce the outcomes desired by that leader. Stay strong. I’m a sea kayaker and have been caught in some nasty conditions in the water. I once had to demonstrate leadership in a confused and panicked situation where it would have been a lot easier to just go with the flow. That’s why Captain Phillip’s inscription in my copy of his book has personal significance: “Smooth Seas, Calm Winds, Stay Strong.”  More than anything, from my exposure to this man’s story, I learned important lessons in leadership when dealing with harsh conditions. Here was a person who had worked his way up the ladder of leadership in a usually mundane industry, was tested in an unexpected situation and produced results. I don’t mean to be mercenary about this, but consider the outcome of Captain Phillip’s story: his crew was saved, his company kept its ship and cargo, and he personally survived while his enemies perished.Few successfully navigate the waters of business ownership without a major trial or two. These challenges test both our personal and business mettle. While we all hope to avoid “trial by fire,” as leaders we need to be ready to succeed — even in the worst conditions.