Shipboard work is hard: lengthy hours, demanding jobs, months away from family members. Shoreside work can be troublesome. No matter the place you’re employed, excellence is the ground expectation, not the ceiling. The tradition of steady enchancment means your boss is rarely glad. Continually making an attempt to do all the pieces higher, sooner, smarter is demanding. These usually are not standard 9-to-5 jobs; they’re roles for individuals who thrive on making an affect.
This was introduced residence to me in a really tangible means when two totally different workers on separate events spoke to me about their expertise. Each had labored beforehand within the public sector, one in a charitable group and one in authorities. Each mentioned that they left their public jobs reluctantly, pushed by a necessity for higher compensation. They felt good about their public service however have been prepared to surrender that sense of function for an even bigger paycheck. Now, to their shock, they felt that they had the perfect of each worlds. They felt a way of function and nonetheless acquired a pleasant paycheck.
In fact, not everybody feels that means. Retaining high expertise means protecting those that excel, nevertheless it additionally means parting methods with those that aren’t the appropriate match. I take advantage of the phrase match relatively than efficiency deliberately. In lots of organizations, a termination is a bit like a standard divorce—structured in a fashion that forces individuals to search out fault till they hate one another. Too usually, the result’s a vicious circle the place each the senior individual and the junior individual really feel compelled to focus on the opposite’s failures. Defending workers from dangerous bosses is essential, however at management ranges, no-fault separation is often extra constructive than an adversarial course of.
The actual problem is often match, not health.
I noticed a vivid instance of this after we shifted two senior executives to new roles. Within the morning, one in all them got here to me and mentioned his new second-in-command, Sam, was ineffective and that he wish to substitute him with Kevin, his former quantity two. Within the afternoon, the opposite govt mentioned precisely the alternative: Kevin was ineffective, and he or she needed to interchange him with Sam. Clearly, Kevin and Sam couldn’t concurrently be ineffective and implausible. The problem wasn’t their skill; it was their chemistry with new leaders. Sam and Kevin swapped positions, and it labored out very nicely. The problem wasn’t efficiency; it was match.
Even with the perfect individuals, supporting and inspiring a tradition of WOW requires fixed effort. The actual schooling takes place exterior the classroom, by way of on a regular basis osmosis. There isn’t any easy checklist of guidelines, no how-to guide, no components. As an alternative, there are habits, practices and types of communication which might be continually strengthened. There may be expertise. And there’s the facility of WOW.
A technique we encourage that’s cross-fertilization. As a part of a standard profession path, we actively transfer workers from division to division to broaden their perspective and deepen their understanding of the enterprise. Michael Bayley, now president and CEO of the Royal Caribbean model, began on board as a purser. He later moved ashore and had stints in human sources, advertising and marketing, onboard income and resort operations. Laura Hodges Bethge, president of the Superstar Cruises model, began as an accessibility knowledgeable and later hung out in gross sales, finance, buying, operations and investor relations. Jason Liberty, Royal Caribbean’s CEO, began as our inner auditor however later was chargeable for finance, expertise, provide chain and the Silversea model.
Throughout the group, we make a deliberate effort to rotate expertise throughout features to interrupt down silos and hopefully encourage recent pondering. This type of broad expertise not solely provides to their ability units, nevertheless it additionally encourages everybody to weigh in on nearly any subject as a result of the mystique of specialised information isn’t there. Due to this cross-fertilization, the individual throughout the desk from you is extra prone to problem you (or no less than argue with you) as a result of they’re prone to have been in your seat beforehand. It makes the dialogue extra constructive, as a result of extra voices are empowered and certified to problem.
With over 100,000 workers, we’re additionally acutely aware that there’ll, sadly, be those that abuse the system and violate our insurance policies. There isn’t any good reply to this, however working to make sure that each worker has a dependable option to voice issues is vital. Like many firms, we applied an worker hotline the place individuals can report issues anonymously. Most significantly, we guarantee that each name is handled with the significance it deserves, partaking individuals from exterior the chain of command and throughout the group—an all-hands-on-deck effort. We additionally present updates to the caller utilizing a code that allows them to get an replace on their report whereas sustaining anonymity.
Listening—actually listening—is important at each stage of the group. Whether or not it’s creating secure, nameless channels for workers to report misconduct or understanding what our friends want earlier than they ever step on board, the flexibility to tune in and reply thoughtfully makes all of the distinction.
Reprinted by permission of Quick Firm Press. Excerpted from DELIVERING THE WOW: Tradition As a Catalyst for Lasting Success by Richard Fain. Copyright 2025 Quick Firm Press. All rights reserved.
