"Leader...ship"

As I've mentioned, one of the side effects of the COVID-19 pandemic - though it's probably more accurate to blame the lockdown - has been the significant increase in binge-watching at our house.  I learned that I really like the television series The Office, which aired on NBC from 2005 to 2013, played again on Netflix, and most recently made its way to the Peacock Network.  During episode 17 (episode 11 of season 2, "Booze Cruise"), regional manager Michael Scott (played by the actor, Steve Carell) said:

Leader… ship. The word “ship” is hidden inside the word “leadership,” as its derivation. So if this office is, in fact, a ship, as its leader, I am the captain. But we’re all in the same boat. Teamwork!

It's a funny quote, but I think there is a lot more to unpack here than what it seems at first glance.  Michael Scott isn't exactly a great leader (see a post from last year, "Is Michael Scott a bad boss?").  While taking your team on a "booze cruise" in lieu of a retreat might be popular, as this episode shows, it's not likely to be effective.  I would argue further that perhaps Michael Scott doesn't really understand what leadership is all about.  In the beginning of the quote, he suggests that leadership is all about being the so-called "captain of the ship" or the "boss."  While there is no question that leadership and management comes with some degree of authority and power, there is a lot more to being a leader than being the "captain" or the "boss."

There used to be a legal doctrine in health care law known as the "captain of the ship doctrine".  Basically, this doctrine was established with a case decided by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in q 1949 case, (McConnel v Williams), which stated "...it can readily be understood that in the course of an operation in the operating room of a hospital, and until the surgeon leaves that room at the conclusion of the operation... he is in the same complete charge of those who are present and assisting him as in the captain of a ship over all on board."  Essentially, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court said that the primary surgeon is responsible for the actions of everyone else in the operating room, including other surgeons and the anesthesiologist.  This particular legal doctrine has largely fallen out of favor.  More importantly, the complex nature of medical care today, even in the operating room environment, requires a more collective, team-based approach in order to achieve the best outcomes.  While a surgeon is still an important piece of the puzzle (and maybe one of the most important pieces), there is no way that a patient can achieve a good outcome from surgery if the rest of the health care personnel aren't working together as a team.

I think we are long past the concepts such as "women and children first" and "the captain going down with the ship".  These are anachronistic concepts no longer seem relevant in the world in which we live today.  The same holds true for leadership.  And here is where Michael Scott nails it in the second half of his quote - "...we're all in the same boat.  Teamwork."  There is something magical about leading a team that is working together.  For a great read on this subject, I highly recommend General (retired) Stanley McChrystal's book, "Team of Teams".  If you want a book with a more nautical theme, check out "The Boys in the Boat" by Daniel James Brown.  

Most of the time, Michael Scott was a poor leader (and a poor manager).  But every once in a while, he came up with something great.  It is absolutely true that the word "ship" is hidden inside the word "leadership" - it's only meaningful if you apply the analogy that everyone on a team is on the same boat, and in order for the team to achieve its goal, they need to work together.