What can a Ship teach Individuals and Organizations?

1. Ships don't navigate in a straight line like a bullet:

• To be fair even bullets don't follow a straight path. As one would expect, tides, ocean currents, wind, and storms continuously act on a ship. Seldom a ship goes on the same charted course. A few degrees on either side of the plotted route is acceptable as long as she is overall on track. An experienced sailor will not be too obsessed if a ship deviates a few degrees occasionally in mid-seas.
• A well-established firm won't worry about occasional deviations from the set target. Organizations operate in complex economic environments and business cycles. A company playing the long game won't be too stressed about occasional blips due to recessions and other externalities.
• A wise person won't be too worried about the occasional difficulties of life. As long as the individual is learning and growing steadily, momentary loss of money, position or fame shall not bother them.

2. Buoyancy : 

• The most important virtue of a ship is her buoyancy which is her ability to stay afloat no matter what. Unless a vessel loses its buoyancy, it won't sink.
• For organizations, the essential virtue is their "culture," which shapes their character. Small or large organizations with a consistent culture can make it unscathed through the most challenging times. 
• Every person has their own set of virtues and values. These could be " Excellence," "Competence," " Integrity," " Honesty," "Intelligence," "Kindness," etc. Any of these virtues is sufficient to keep a person afloat in the worst times.

3. Port is a downtime: 

• For a ship staying at the port is downtime.
• For individuals, not going out in the world to make their mark is a downtime.
• For organizations, not competing is downtime.

4. Size comes with a cost:

• Large vessels might look efficient and impressive by their capacity to carry large amounts of cargo. Still, that efficiency comes at the cost of manoeuvrability and the limitations in the number of ports they can call.
• Organizations have a natural size. As organizations become big, they become slow and get attacked by smaller, more agile, creative, and innovative organizations. Size can be an advantage in terms of leverage, but in the modern economy, there are other more efficient leverages, like a highly talented workforce and technology. 
• Individuals juggle aspects of their lives, including work, family, and friends. Anything that becomes too big is a problem. Cost is often not evident, and most often, we pay in terms of our time, a fraction of our life. 

5. One voyage at a time:

• A ship can choose from multiple sea routes, yet she can only reach one port at a time. 
• Organizations need a single instead of multiple goals. However, there could be numerous ways to achieve that.  
• Individuals can take the path less travelled and yet reach their destination. Without a goal, people can stray away and get wasted like an abandoned ship in the ocean.

6. Waves and Storms head-on:

• The best way to tackle waves is to take them head-on. Don't let the waves and sea attack the hull from the beam.
• The best way to resolve any problem for an organization is to take the problem head-on. Go to the root and stop beating around the bush.
• The best way for people to overcome their most significant issues is by looking at the problem straight in the eye without procrastinating or avoiding it.

7. Loaded and Humble:

• When loaded, ships are less visible in comparison to when in ballast. A loaded ship has smoother navigation and can withstand wind and waves better. 
• An old and mature organization that has already established its credibility is less visible and yet adds more value to society and the economy.
• A knowledgeable person is also humble. People who are experts in their domain are less visible in public and yet they consistently outperform their lesser able peer group.

8. At approaches put on manual

• Ships mostly sail on autopilot when at open seas. When the navigation is easy, the duty officer can rely on a machine like an autopilot. However, the steering is taken over to manual when approaching a port or high-traffic area. Only conscious and manual navigation can lead the vessel safely to port.
• In good times, organizations with great cultures can work partly on autopilot. However, when the context of business changes or an organization is under attack, more deliberate navigation is needed.
• People can't rely on the unconscious ways of daily life, instead, they need intentional actions in difficult times. 

9. Tugs and Pilots: 

• Even the most sophisticated ship needs tugs and a pilot to navigate her in port waters.
• An organization can not be an expert in everything. The best strategy is to hire the most agile and expert vendors, no matter how small they may be.
• Everyone needs a mentor to cross difficult times. A mentor could be a person, a book, or any source of inspiration. No individual is wise to 100% optimization.

10. Leave a trail.Valuable even after demolition.  

• A ship leaves a clear visible trail by her motion. A trail is probably the most direct evidence to an outsider that a vessel is moving. Ships are valuable even after their working life. Steel from a scrapped ship can become part of some other machine.
• Organizations that don't leave a mark eventually stagnate, decay, and die. On the other hand, a valuable organization might disintegrate after its natural life span. Still, its legacy survives in the form of several smaller but highly competent organizations that continue to add value to society.
• Individuals who are not aspiring don't leave a trail. The only way an individual can contribute after death is in the form of a great legacy that can stay in the shape of their work, thoughts, and contributions they made to society or the world at large.