An RNLI coxswain must be brave but what else does it take to inspire the confidence and trust of a modern-day crew?

On 9 July 2010, Mike Lawrence was not only in charge of Calshot’s Tyne class Alexander Coutanche but also On-Scene Commander. The Second Coxswain was leading the combined crew of four lifeboats, Police and Harbour Master launches and a Coastguard helicopter in the search for a missing ferry passenger. RNLI Operations Director Michael Vlasto later wrote in his Letter of Appreciation to Mike: ‘Your command and leadership of this very intensive operation was exemplary.’ Mike remembers it well: ‘When we first got the call I thought “This could be interesting – exactly how many vessels are involved?” Any Coxswain will tell you that in these sort of situations you step out of the norm and think bigger – you up your game … and I do enjoy a challenge!’

In the 19th century, a coxswain was always at the helm and his crew required little training, as lifeboats were simple in design and function and the volunteers were familiar with the sea. Similarly, today's coxswain is responsible for all operations connected with the all-weather lifeboat while at sea, the safeguarding of the crew and the rescue of those in danger. But they are also expected to promote the work of the RNLI, contribute to the success of the lifeboat station in the community and build effective working relationships with volunteers. Meanwhile, only 10% of crew members come from a maritime profession and onboard technology is second to none.

The RNLI introduced competence-based training in 2002 to bridge the gap, focusing initially on the ‘hard’ skills required to operate lifeboats: boathandling, navigation, rope work and so on. Since 2007, the ‘soft’ skills required of coxswains (and full-time mechanics) to motivate and lead their crews have also been addressed formally. Such skills can be the hardest of all to master and must not be left to chance.

Howard Ramm, Staff Officer Operations (Training) who runs the courses, explains: ‘A trigger for introducing our Management, Command and Communication course was realising that, in the small proportion of lifeboat call-outs in which something goes amiss, the cause is usually human error. Discovering common themes of misinterpretation of information, failure to act on information and poor communication prompted our inclusion of "human factors" in the training. We've now trained over 200 current or aspiring boat officers in this way.'

A new challenge In October 2010, six men from across the service attended the week-long course at the Lifeboat College in Poole. Between them they had 112 years’ lifeboating experience. The timetable didn’t give much away so some came with a degree of trepidation:

• Roles and responsibilities
• Teamwork tasks
• Intelligent Leadership
• The art of communication
• Why should anyone be led by you?
• Leading change
• Drama-based training.

John Allen, RNLI Operations Training Manager and himself a trainer on the course, confirms: 'The training is designed to take you out of your comfort zone and apply pressure in certain places at the right time.’ This includes assessing a boat officer's personal leadership style using real-life examples of situations at lifeboat stations and The Management Centre's Intelligent Leadership model. Sarah Fraser, a learning and development consultant, explains: ‘This helps coxswains and mechanics identify their strengths, and areas for development, as leaders, pinpointing skills that can be used at sea or on shore. Opportunities are then provided in the survival pool for them to put these skills into practice, challenging them to adapt their approach through increasingly complex practical tasks.’

Know what I mean?

Real-life examples of professional leaders from other walks of life are studied too. Charlie Cantan, a senior airline pilot and trainer for 20 years, said to the trainees: ‘Although I can’t tell you how to operate a lifeboat because I don’t know how one works, I do know from experience, and 16 years' research, how incidents of human error occur and why.’

He emphasised: ‘When we get stressed we often go quiet and shut down but we still think in fast time, about 1,200 words a minute. We also think that everyone else is seeing exactly what we’re seeing …’ In his fascinating presentation, Dr David Anton, the RNLI’s Consultant Physician in Occupational Medicine, asserted: ‘Communication has to be sent, heard, understood and shared.