June 8, 2023 by Mike Manazir – (4-5 minutes)

There is a chapter in my book Learn How to Lead to Win: 33 Powerful Stories and Leadership Lessons titled Face the Storm. One of the stories I share took place in the winter of 2001, when the USS Carl Vinson was coming back across the Pacific from deployment. We’d been bombing the Taliban as part of Operation Enduring Freedom in the wake of 9/11.

We were going home, but we needed to complete one of the most time-honored Navy traditions. It is the shellback ceremony, where slimy pollywogs become trusty shellbacks, who are sons and daughters of King Neptune, the Ruler of the Deep. It takes place as sailors cross the equator for the first time.

A pollywog is a sailor of any rank who has not crossed the equator. Any rank means that a seasoned Captain pollywog could be “indoctrinated” by a junior enlisted shellback. Rank did not matter to Davy Jones, Neptune’s first assistant. Luckily, I had been a shellback since my first deployment.

The weather forecast was for rough seas during the ceremony. Rick Wren was the Captain. We were a few days to the east of Singapore. Even though the route home was more direct, our plan was to duck below the equator, induct everybody as shellbacks and get rid of all the slimy wogs.

The weather on crossing the line day went from bad to a full-blown typhoon in only a few hours. A lot of the shellback ceremony takes place on the flight deck. As the weather started to build, we moved the ceremony off the flight deck down to the hangar bay. We were succeeding in producing shellbacks. This might work after all.

I was managing the ceremony while Rick was driving the ship through the storm. We were starting to get hammered by 100-mile-an-hour winds. I was walking around the ship, monitoring the ceremony’s progress. The waves were beginning to splash into the large hangar bay doors twenty-five feet above the ocean. Heavy rain blew into the hangar bays while the ship rolled violently.

I called Captain Wren on the brick. “Sir, this is not good. I know we want to get the wogs properly initiated, but we’re really—” And equipment began to break free. Chains broke in the hangar bay. Fuel tanks started rolling around. The entire hangar bay was becoming a fatal obstacle course. We had a couple of people risk their lives to chain the loose equipment back down.

“Hey, Captain, we’ve got to get out of this. I recommend we stop the ceremony. Make everybody shellbacks and say they got initiated by King Neptune with this typhoon.” That’s what we did. All the sailors who had yet to be inducted as shellbacks were declared to no longer be slimy pollywogs, but were now trusted shellbacks.

Storms come in various forms at different times. There’s the obvious weather storm. There’s also storms that can blow into your business, your profession, family, health, finances and the like. What do you do when a storm comes upon you?

I’d like to share some lessons I’ve learned through the years. They have served me well.

When a storm is threatening, remember, it’s not just about you. You have a team, whether it is your business, your family or friends in the community who are also feeling threatened by the storm. If you are the leader, they are looking to you to lead.

Stay calm. Take a deep breath and stand firm. This can be tough to do for sure, but your people are cueing off you and you must give the example of calm confidence. You are much more likely to endure the storm by keeping your wits about you. You never do your best work when consumed with fear. You must remain calm.

Consult with people you trust. They can be a considerable help. It’s also helpful to know you are not alone. Remind yourself that storms are rarely as big and bad as they appear (even a monsoon), and regardless of how bad they are, this too shall pass.

Be prepared to break with convention and get a new plan if what you are doing isn’t working. Test the waters. Take small steps to adjust the position of your ship to find a new way through the storm. Trust what you know and what you are seeing. Trust your instincts and take it a step at a time.

Communicate more. This is key to managing team stress and anxiety. Let them know you see the storm, you saw it coming, you are prepared for it, and here’s the plan to get through it. Keep them updated on progress and setbacks.

Finally, lean into your training, experience, and instincts with your leadership team to think outside the box. Seek to find a better way out. Own the risk and make the right call regardless of pressure or disagreement with the people above you and under you. But make sure you evaluate all perspectives for value in shaping your next step.

As a leader, you have to be confident that no matter what is thrown at you, you are going to get your team through it. Show your confidence to the people who work for you. It is even more critical when there is a lot of uncertainty. Standing firm and confident regardless of the stormy seas builds confidence and trust in your crew.

In times of crisis, people look to the leader for direction and hope. It is during those times that great leaders emerge and inspire others to rise above the challenges.

-John C. Maxwell

Lead from your heart. Lead to Win.

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