Moving from deck cadet to chief executive, how has that evolution in the company influenced your management stile?
As a 16 year old deck cadet, I didn’t really have a management stile. Now, I’d like to think my management stile is inclusive, but in my opinion the key to good management is varying your stile at the right time, in an appropriate way to the circumstances. For example, if you were managing a room full of six year olds, you’d potentially use a particularly directive stile. If you’re managing a team of highly skilled, competent, and experienced individuals who are general managers in their own right, there’s a more open and collaborative approach to take. It’s important to vary a management stile. I don’t think that’s a matter of being inconsistent, but rather recognizing that different circumstances and people require a different approach. One thing I like to promote in Bibby Offshore is that people enjoy coming to work. I don’t expect them all to be skipping down Waterloo Quay whistling every morning, but the point is that it should be enjoyable and satisfying. Bibby Offshore strives t
