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Bow Thrusters, bloggen, en saaklike kommunikaasje

While in the U.S. Navy, one of my tasks as an electrician was to stand bow thruster control. A bow thruster was a propeller in the middle of a tunnel that ran from one side of the ship to the other on the bow (front). It’s a massive electric motor that the bow thruster ran on, requiring a dedicated generator to be online due to the amount of torque it took to operate.

I was on a Tank Landing Ship (LST-1192) designed to run into the beach and launch a huge ramp to offload Marine tanks and vehicles. The bow thruster allowed complete control of the location of the bow of the ship. The Captain would use it, in combination with the main engines, to carefully navigate the ship. On the bridge, several people are tracking the ship’s location, engine controls, steerage, etc., and the Captain balances all of them in a careful symphony to gently move a giant ship, hundreds of feet in length, around obstacles to its destination.

To ensure the Captain was fully aware, he would ask a question or bark an order. Asking a question would result in an answer from the sailor who was directed the question, and then the Captain would repeat that answer. When ordering a sailor, the sailor would repeat the order and execute the order. Once complete, the sailor would state the task was completed, and the Captain would repeat and acknowledge it. All of this was also written down in the Ship’s log.

Marine kommunikaasje

In foarbyld petear kin wêze:

  • Kaptein: “Bow thruster, one-fifth power starboard.”
    The Captain is telling the bow thruster operator to turn the knob one-fifth of the way to the right.
  • Bôgesjitter Operator: "Bow Thruster, ien-fyfde macht stuurboord, aye."
    The operator confirms and repeats the command foar executing the command.
  • Bôge thruster operator draait de knop nei ien-fyfde macht stuurboord.
  • Bôgesjitter Operator: "Kaptein, boegskroef is ien fiifde macht stuurboord."
    The operator is telling the Captain that he executed the command.
  • Kaptein: "Bow Thruster is ien-fyfde stjoerboard, ja."
    The Captain is confirming the communication.

Turning a knob isn’t a complex command. But turning that knob would incur a ton of events… mass amounts of amperage from a generator could drag down a diesel engine. A switchboard electrician watched over that generator to ensure nothing unusual happened. An engineman observing a diesel and its consumption of fuel and oil pressure. A chief engineer watched over the plant and observed all the power and diesel plants.

The Navy understands that communication is the key, so repeating and confirming messages ensures that no information is lost.

Folgjende oarders

In Puerto Rico once, a Junior Officer was at the helm and continued failing to acknowledge the bow thruster’s condition. The sailor (me) continued to repeat to him that the bow thruster was engaged and at one-third power, driving the bow towards the dock. I began backing the bow thruster off (this is a violation of orders) while repeating (in an alarmed pitch) that it was engaged.

Boom.

The ship was backing from the dock, and the bow dragged a lot of the dock with it. Luckily, most of it was simply wood, but it still caused hundreds of thousands of dollars in damage. All because a leader didn’t listen to his subordinate, who was doing what he was told. The Officer was summarily dismissed from the Bridge and never allowed to pilot the ship again.

I have great respect for the U.S. Navy. We drilled non-stop for the emergencies that never happened to ensure we acted out of instinct rather than fear. We also communicated non-stop. Those folks that had never been in the service may think that this manner of communication is a waste… it’s not. When I look at our largest challenges at work, 99% of those issues have to do with communication, not the product or service we serve. The U.S. Navy has established rank, responsibilities, processes and methods of communication. I believe these traits are found in successful businesses as well.

What does all this have to do with Corporate Blogging?

A corporate blog is an essential tool for leadership to ensure effective internal and external communication. It enhances transparency by providing a platform for leaders to share insights, updates, and strategic decisions, thereby building trust and credibility. Additionally, it establishes a direct channel for feedback, allowing stakeholders to express their opinions and concerns, which helps leadership steer the company in the right direction based on community response.

Externally, a corporate blog helps shape and maintain a consistent brand voice, which is crucial for marketing and sales efforts. Internally, it boosts employee engagement by making them feel more connected to the organization’s goals and values. Furthermore, it positions the company as a thought leader by sharing valuable insights and trends, attracting quality talent and business opportunities. Regular updates also improve SEO and online visibility, aiding the company’s growth.

A corporate blog is an opportunity for a company to acknowledge customers’ feedback and ensure their employees are aware of their orders. I’m not stating that companies should be run like a Captain runs a ship. The U.S. Navy doesn’t have to make a profit or save any money. Its only goal is to be prepared for any threat that may or may not occur.

En bedriuwen mei súkses rinne

I wonder how much easier our jobs would be if directions were communicated, acknowledged, and repeated. I wonder how many leaders would be more successful if they listened to their subordinates after they executed those orders.

I’m confident that fewer companies would treffe problemen as se diene.

This post was inspired by a rough week at work. Our development folks executed and released some fantastic features into our application this week. As a Product Manager, my job was to (ironically) stand watch in a Oarlochskeamer, communicating and prioritizing issues that may have erupted from our clients. After four days in the war room, I can honestly state that—even though we had a few bugs—the major issues were allegearre ôfbraak yn kommunikaasje.

Douglas Karr

Douglas Karr is CMO fan OpenINSIGHTS en de oprjochter fan de Martech Zone. Douglas hat holpen tsientallen suksesfolle MarTech startups, hat holpen yn 'e due diligence fan mear as $ 5 miljard yn Martech oanwinsten en ynvestearrings, en bliuwt te helpen bedriuwen by it útfieren en automatisearjen fan harren ferkeap en marketing strategyen. Douglas is in ynternasjonaal erkend digitale transformaasje en MarTech-ekspert en sprekker. Douglas is ek in publisearre skriuwer fan in Dummie's gids en in boek foar bedriuwsliederskip.

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