Last time we talked about the importance of developing great communication skills in order to make you an imperative part of the crew. This leads naturally to discussing being a team player. As mentioned previously, working as part of a superyacht crew means you’re generally working in a fairly small team. We know how important it is to be considerate to your team mates but let’s take a closer look.
By now you’ve been working on your communication skills so that parts definitely nailed, but what else do we consider makes a good team player in a superyacht crew? The industry is fast moving, chaotic, and things change – frequently and quickly. So you need to be adaptable and flexible to this. Don’t close down and panic, you have to just get on with it, adapt and overcome any issues and be aware of how this affects other departments.
Let’s say you’re a stewardess on the interior, and the captain’s just radio’d the whole crew to say the boss has changed plans, they’re coming a day earlier and with four kids instead of the usual two. Fortunately for you, the chief stew had already organised the whole interior and had everything set up and ready to go because that’s how she rolls. So, boss early? Whatevs right? Hmmm. Meanwhile outside on deck the team had decided that they had ample time to strip back and dismantle the furniture and barbecue set up on the top deck (which is the Mrs FAVOURITE place to sunbathe in private, obviously) and now were having a minor crisis. Now, you could just say “oh no poor them” and go back to finding something else to iron again, or, you could say “how can we help?” and get your butt outside and give them a hand.
Another way to be a good team player is to understand the hierarchy on board. Respect each others’ roles onboard and know when you need to follow instructions and when you should take initiative. I’d recommend you feel this one out a bit. Different people have different leadership styles but in any case, if it’s an emergency situation, follow what the heads of departments tell you.
It’s not always easy to do, but maintaining a positive attitude really can uplift the whole team! Even when the brown stuff’s hit the fan and is splattering everywhere, chin up, crack a joke, raise a smile and the whole mood can shift. I can’t stress this one enough.
Sometimes when it’s super busy and the guests are being rather demanding (standard), it’s easy to slot into just doing your own job and keeping your head down. However, if you can be proactive and ease the pressure off a team mate by doing something for them and it won’t stop you doing your own job, then do it. It might be prepping some lemon water for the guest who always asks for it when first thing in the morning with their breakfast for the chief stew to take to them, it might be helping the chef wash up and clear down after a hectic dinner service, or it might be as simple as offering the engineer a cuppa and a slice of cake when they’ve been rushed off their feet fixing stuff all day. Warning: being nice to people when they’re stressed might make them cry. Especially engineers.
Team building activities is a phrase that in the corporate world may actually cause visible shuddering amongst the team however in yachting you can manipulate this to be anything from going for a crew hike in a beautiful location when off charter, to having drinks and dinner out in a nice restaurant.
There’s lots of ways to bond with each other off the yacht (when you’re not working, don’t bunk off or you’ll get in trouble). Find mutual interests and suggest something for everyone to enjoy, even if it’s just a relaxed beach day. Maybe half the crew like yoga and could go to a session together, or tennis, or fancy a game of footy, whatever it is have some fun together, don’t talk about yachts and build that sense of camaraderie. It will lead to a super cohesive team that works well together. And that makes everyone’s lives easier, and the owner/charter guests just that little bit happier.
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