If you are a yachtie and you are serious about your career in yachting, finding a boat with an appealing crew vibe is as important to you as the boat itinerary.
It is not a secret that a good crew vibe potentiates longevity onboard whereas a toxic one brings any crew sooner or later to resign. That is reality! Own mental health is far more important.
Crew longevity, in turn, is the key expectation of any owner as it is directly linked to the operability and reliability of the vessel, to say nothing of the pleasure of having the same people around in such a restricted space as a yacht. Homes are more spacious, and employees are not living next door. So having a crew whose presence is enjoyable is a dream of every owner.
Logically crew longevity is and shall be the ever-leading KPI to any yacht manager or captain, as important as the vessel’s budget efficiency, reliability and safety.
But how to succeed in that key performance indicator if you are a yacht manager and you are not onboard as the captain?? What is the trick?
My answer is well known to those I have led as a team – care for people.
Let the people, the crew be your focus. Remember they want, like yourself, to live good life in a good environment. Focus on the team vibe. Develop trustworthy relationships with each crew member to be able to receive honest feedback and be approached before things get out of control. Choose new crew members keeping in mind that they should fit the existing team mentality mix and contribute positively to the team vibe.
Boost team vibe by personal presence and human interaction. Lead by example. Animate and suggest team building activities in off-work hours, any activity counts, play Uno or do some sightseeing.
Yes, it is time-consuming and effort-thirsty, but it pays off.
On rare occasions, you might identify that a crew setting needs HR corrective action to protect the overall crew vibe from further deteriorating. Take time to arrive at a weighted decision. The crew longevity onboard is in the end your ultimate responsibility in front of the owner.
Happy crew – happy owner!