I’m very glad (Maersk Alabama ship’s) Captain Richard Phillips and crew are safe.
A lot has been said and written about Captain Phillips being a hero because of his actions to give himself as a hostage for the safety of his crew. The question I ask is this: “Is Captain Phillips really a hero? And if so, why?
“Anything heroic is something people want – what with the current economic situation, people want something to hang onto,” says Sam Haskell, former worldwide head for television at the William Morris Agency.
Captain Phillips actions do qualify as something [good] people want to hang onto.
One Washington Post Blogger said this when comparing Phillips to Sullenberger (the pilot who landed in the Hudson river saving all aboard):
“It’s tempting to say, no brainer: It’s Sully. He saved 155 lives. Phillips only managed to not die while sitting in a lifeboat with four pirates for five days. Smelly, sure. Not heroic.”
So what is heroic?
Here’s a couple definitions:
- having or displaying the character or attributes of a hero; extraordinarily bold, altruistic, determined, etc.
- having or involving recourse to boldness, daring, or extreme measures
So, did Captain Phillips display boldness, altruism, daring, and determination?
Without rehashing the details, I’d say yes.
But is this really what makes him a hero? Almost everyone I have heard or read – news reports, videos, blogs – all focus on the courageous act of giving himself into the hands of the pirates for the benefit of his crew.
Consider this…
Little discussed is what happened before the pirate attack.
“According to the [Washington Post], Phillips had relentlessly trained the crew about what to do should the ship face a pirate attack so, when the pirates boarded the ship, the Maersk Alabama’s engines were shut down and most of the crew were locked in a safe room and ordered to remain completely quiet.
Several times, Phillips got on the ship’s intercom and order the crew to come up to the bridge, but the crew suspected Phillips really didn’t want them to follow his order and remained in hiding.
Phillips had a gun to his back during the showdown with the pirates, but persuaded them to leave the ship on a lifeboat by offering to help them lower it into the water and start its engine.
Phillips was taken captive by the pirates when the pirates reneged on an agreement to let Phillips go back on his ship in return for the crew’s releasing of a pirate they had captured, the Post reported.
The pirates ordered the crew to sail the ship to Somalia, but the crew instead began circling the lifeboat until it ran out of gas. The Bainbridge later arrived on the scene, setting in motion the standoff that ended with Phillips’ rescue Sunday.” (Burlington FreePress.com)
Here’s what I think is unique about this – and what really makes Captain Phillips a hero:
- Obviously Captain Phillips knew of the dangers of traveling in the area they were in. Before anything ever happened to him and his crew he spent time relentlessly training his crew on how to handle a pirate attack. Note the use of the word relentlessly. I’m sure some of his crew were sick and tired of running the drills; I suspect some of them thought the Captain was a dictator; some may have even thought “why go through this training if we may never use it?” However, Captain Phillips boldy, with determination, altruistically acted to ensure the safety of his crew (I say altruistically, ’cause while I’m sure other captains are very concerned about their crew, none have apparently done this).
- Phillips had somehow instilled in his crew a knowledge of who he was, what he wanted, and to think for themselves enough to know when to not follow an order. I think it takes courage for a leader to create true partners and companions and have them think and feel they can disobey when they think it is the right thing to do.
- Captain Phillips kept on trying to find a way. He ultimately persuaded the pirates to leave the ship (meeting one of his objectives of preserving his crew). Not in the quote above, but well known, is Captain Phillips attempt to escape his captors by diving overboard from the lifeboat and trying to swim away.
- Finally, whether or not it was Captain Phillip’s leadership, training, or direction, the crew took action to recover the captain by circling the lifeboat. At a minimum, it was Captain Phillip’s selection of crew, philosophy, and example that gave them the courage to take needed action.
So, back to my original question: Is Captain Phillips really a hero? I think “Yes!”
Not only because he put his own life on the line for his crew, but because he prepared his crew when it didn’t seem to matter, he trained them – and allowed them – to think for themselves, he kept trying to find a way to meet his objective, and finally he surrounded himself with people that would also do what was needed.
Do you agree? Let me know.
Another thought: Do you have these kind of people in your organization?
Do you have leaders that make this kind of difference – even though there may not be lives at stake? There clearly are livelihoods at stake!
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