Leadership for Interior Heads of Department

Independent study. xplor is not an IAMI- or PYA-accredited GUEST training provider and is not an MCA-approved HELM provider. This course covers the ground assessed in GUEST Unit 17; it awards no GUEST unit, certificate, Certificate of Competency or HELM certificate.

Free

INT-LEAD-1 · The Human Element and the Maritime Context

3 lessons

INT-LEAD-1.1 Why the Industry Teaches Leadership Practice in examiner →

INT-LEAD-1.1.1

The Human Element: Why Accidents Are People Problems

Explains why the maritime industry teaches leadership at all: most casualties are driven by human factors, not machinery. Introduces the human element and the difference between a management task and a leadership act.

INT-LEAD-1.1.2

The Chain of Command, Authority and Influence

Sets out the chain of command onboard, the Master overriding authority under ISM, and where the interior HOD sits. Distinguishes authority from influence and formal from informal power.

INT-LEAD-1.2 Culture and the Multinational Crew Practice in examiner →

INT-LEAD-1.2.1

Leading Across Cultures Onboard

Covers leading a multinational interior team: power distance, direct and indirect communication, language under stress, and gender dynamics. Gives practical adjustments for briefing and feedback.

INT-LEAD-2 · Leading and Teaming

4 lessons

INT-LEAD-2.1 Leadership Styles and Team Building Practice in examiner →

INT-LEAD-2.1.1

Leadership Styles and When Each Fits

Explains situational leadership styles - directive, coaching, participative, delegative and transformational - and how to choose based on time, risk and crew competence.

INT-LEAD-2.1.2

Building the Team: Psychological Safety, Briefing and Debriefing

Covers psychological safety and why crew must feel able to challenge, how teams develop through a season, and how to run a structured brief and debrief.

INT-LEAD-2.2 Getting Work Done Through Others Practice in examiner →

INT-LEAD-2.2.1

Delegation and the Cost of Doing It Yourself

Explains what an interior HOD should and should not delegate, how to delegate with clear outcomes and check-in points, and why doing it yourself destroys a department.

INT-LEAD-2.2.2

Feedback, Motivation and Leading Peers After Promotion

Covers giving and receiving feedback with a clear structure, what actually motivates crew on a long charter, and how to lead former peers after promotion.

INT-LEAD-3 · Workload, Situational Awareness and Human Error

4 lessons

INT-LEAD-3.1 Task and Workload Management Practice in examiner →

INT-LEAD-3.1.1

Planning, Prioritising and Allocating the Interior Workload

Covers planning, prioritising and allocating the interior workload, finding the bottleneck in a turnaround, and recognising overload in the team and in yourself.

INT-LEAD-3.1.2

Fatigue, Rest and Judgement

Explains how fatigue degrades attention, memory, risk perception and self-assessment, the interior fatigue profile, and the HOD duty to manage rota, rest and honest records.

INT-LEAD-3.2 Situational Awareness and Human Error Practice in examiner →

INT-LEAD-3.2.1

Situational Awareness and How It Is Lost

Defines the three levels of situational awareness and the ways it is lost - fixation, distraction, complacency, ambiguity, missing information and overload - and how to rebuild it.

INT-LEAD-3.2.2

Error Types, Error Chains and the Swiss-Cheese Model

Defines slips, lapses, mistakes and violations, explains how error chains form, and introduces the Swiss-cheese model of accident causation with its leadership consequences.

INT-LEAD-4 · Decisions, Emergencies and Ethical Leadership

3 lessons

INT-LEAD-4.1 Deciding and Leading Under Pressure Practice in examiner →

INT-LEAD-4.1.1

Structured Decision-Making and Speaking Up

Gives a structure for decision-making under pressure and in ambiguity, the graded assertiveness ladder for challenging a senior, and closed-loop communication.

INT-LEAD-4.1.2

The Interior HOD Under Pressure: Emergencies, Guests and Service Failure

Covers the interior HOD emergency role - muster duties, guest management, evacuation and head count - and how to lead calmly through a service failure in front of guests.

INT-LEAD-4.2 Integrity and Professional Growth Practice in examiner →

INT-LEAD-4.2.1

Ethical Leadership, Just Culture and Continuing Development

Covers ethical leadership and integrity, the difference between honest error, at-risk behaviour and reckless violation under just culture, and continuing professional development on the GUEST Management route.

Aligned to the IAMI GUEST Program framework. Preparatory study only — assessment and certification are carried out by an approved GUEST Training Provider. Official source (GUEST Program).

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