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

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For more information please contact:

Sally Butler

Elaborate Communications

sbutler@elaboratecomms.com

John Nixon

Elaborate Communications

jnixon@elaboratecomms.com

Editor's notes

The Maritime Professional Council of the UK (MPC) https://www.mpc-uk.org/about-mpc/

The Nautical Institute https://www.nautinst.org/

CHIRP Maritime https://chirp.co.uk/maritime/

About The Nautical Institute

The Nautical Institute is an international representative body for maritime professionals involved in the control of seagoing ships. It provides a wide range of services to enhance the professional standing and knowledge of members, who are drawn from all sectors of the maritime world. Founded in 1972, the Institute has more than 50 branches worldwide and some 9,000 members in more than 120 countries. For more information, please visit https://www.nautinst.org

Please note: The Nautical Institute takes a capital T on The