Drowning in procedures? What will save you when leadership gets real?

Let me tell you about the time I was on a sinking ship. And no, that's not an analogy or metaphor - I mean a literal, rapidly flooding Royal Navy vessel.

16 December 2008. I was serving on HMS ENDURANCE, the Royal Navy's Antarctic ice patrol vessel, when we suffered a catastrophic flood while transiting the Straits of Magellan. I still remember the moment it all kicked off – a hull valve failure during routine maintenance meant that seawater poured in through a disassembled strainer, straight into the engine room.

The power of the water created the equivalent of a column of concrete that filled the engine room to the ceiling within just 30 minutes – that's roughly 1,000 cubic metres of water, resulting in complete loss of propulsion, electrical power, drinking water, toilet facilities - everything. We were in real danger of grounding due to our proximity to land and the strong winds pushing us. And to add to the drama, we were in one of the most remote locations on earth.

We'd been trained meticulously for damage control and firefighting scenarios but the ‘worst’ scenario we trained for was two incidents in the front of the ship, two in the back.

Funny ol’ thing, reality had other ideas. We faced nine separate flooding incidents simultaneously across the entire ship.  Nine.  Not four.  Double that.

The level of training I'd been through was soon outstripped by the situation we were facing. There were no procedures for what we were experiencing.

 *None*

And this is where I learned one of the most valuable leadership lessons of my career…

When you've run out of procedures, all you have left is your behaviour.

Stop asking for a rule book

This experience fundamentally shaped how I view leadership development. Yet I see so many leaders and organisations fixated on what I believe are the wrong things. "Just give me a thing to do, Johanna,” they say. “What process should I follow?” They want a checklist to tick, a manual that tells them exactly what steps to take when someone picks a fight with their colleague or doesn't like their feedback.

They're basically asking for a lever arch file of procedures for every possible scenario. Ok, it could be a computer file, but I think you’ll agree, a lever arch file demonstrates the era that thinking comes from – and it’s a nice visual.

Even if this holy grail of a file did exist, it would never be comprehensive enough. Let me remind you. Nine. Simultaneous. Incidents. Your leadership procedures will never cover every sticky situation you'll face.  Nor the volume – what’s that old adage, “it never rains but it pours’.

Understanding the process gets you in the room, behaviours make you successful

Don't get me wrong – knowing the process matters. Technical competence is important. But that alone won't set great leaders apart from merely competent ones.

The true differentiator of leadership success isn't what you know or even what you can do. It's how you behave, especially when faced with situations you've never encountered before.

Think about it. The pace and volume of change aren't easing up anytime soon. Despite our collective pleas to "stop the world, I want to get off," change remains relentless. We're all operating in what's often described as a VUCA world – Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous.

In this environment, behaviours like curiosity, open-mindedness, calmness under pressure, and the ability to coach others become infinitely more valuable than any process knowledge, no matter how robust.

Behaviours that make a difference

Ok, so if you're still with me and not rolling your eyes, what behaviours should you focus on instead of collecting procedures?

When our ship was going down, these are some that made the difference (and importantly, how):

Curiosity

Approach problems with genuine interest rather than assumptions. Asking 'what's happening?' rather than assuming we knew was the difference between finding solutions and making things worse.

Open-mindedness

Be willing to consider perspectives that challenge your existing views. When traditional solutions weren't working, being open to different approaches saved us. The officers who could set aside 'how we've always done it' and embrace new thinking made all the difference.

Coaching mindset

Help others find their own solutions rather than prescribing yours. We didn't have time for micromanagement. The leaders who asked good questions and trusted their people to solve problems were far more effective than those who tried to control everything.

Calmness under pressure

Maintain composure when everything's going pear-shaped. When that engine room was flooding, panic would have been the end of us. The people who stayed calm helped others do the same.  Don’t get me wrong, under the surface I was bricking it.  But I had to stay calm.  I had to bring out my emotional control guns.

Adaptability

Know how to adjust your approach based on what the situation requires. The reality of nine simultaneous incidents meant we had to throw out the rulebook and adapt on the fly, creating solutions that had never been part of our training. 

Now, I realise your average workplace crisis probably doesn't involve a sinking ship and potential loss of life. But these same behaviours that saved us are exactly what separates truly effective leaders from the rest in any high-pressure situation – whether it's a missed deadline, an unhappy client, or a team conflict. They create a solid base for effective leadership in any situation. Especially the ones you never saw coming.

Doing this in real life

If you're serious about improving as a leader, stop asking for more procedures, rules or checklists and instead develop your behavioural repertoire.

Ask yourself:

“How do I typically behave when I'm under pressure?”

“What's my default response when things don't go to plan?”

“How open am I to feedback that challenges my thinking?”

Then identify one behaviour you'd like to strengthen and look for opportunities to practice it. Start small. Perhaps commit to asking three curious questions in your next team meeting before offering your own view, or practice taking a deep breath before responding to a challenging email.

The beauty of focusing on behaviours is that you can practice them anywhere, anytime. You don't need to wait for a leadership scenario to arise.

When the ship starts sinking

The true test of leadership isn't how well you follow procedures; it's how effectively you respond when those procedures run out. When the ship starts sinking.

Think back to leaders you've admired. I'm willing to bet it wasn't their technical prowess or procedural knowledge that impressed you most, but rather how they showed up in difficult moments, their behaviour when the stakes were high, and the path forward wasn't clear.

As I learned on that sinking ship years ago, when everything's going sideways, procedure manuals stay on the shelf. All you have left is your behaviour. And that, more than any skill or knowledge, will determine your success as a leader.

If you want to hear more about ENDURANCE, or kick around this topic, drop me a message.