Leadership in diving is critical for navigating uncertain situations and achieving successful outcomes, whether you're teaching students, leading a dive project, or running a dive center. Drawing lessons from Ernest Shackleton's legendary leadership and modern theories of influence, this episode explores how effective leaders go beyond authority and management to inspire trust, foster psychological safety, and build personal connections. We discuss six key strategies for diving instructors, including defining a clear purpose, embracing humility, managing conflict constructively, learning from mistakes, adapting leadership styles, and showing genuine care for others. Tune in for actionable insights to enhance your leadership in the water and beyond.

Original blog: https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/follow-me-trust-me-i-am-your-leader

Links: Building psychological safety in a team (part 1): https://www.thehumandiver.com/blog/team-building-psych-safety-1

Trust is based on 1:1 relationships: https://www.forbes.com/sites/shanesnow/2020/04/27/this-common-approach-to-earning-trust-completely-backfires-on-leaders/?sh=515264702fcb

Goodheart’s law: https://humanisticsystems.com/2019/10/24/shorrocks-law-of-limits/

Double-loop learning: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double-loop_learning

The Ladder of Inference: https://thesystemsthinker.com/the-ladder-of-inference/

Self Discovery techniques: https://spectrumofteachingstyles.org/index.php?id=21

The Myth of the Advert: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/shackleton-probably-never-took-out-an-ad-seeking-men-for-a-hazardous-journey-5552379/

Tags: English, Communication, Gareth Lock, Leadership, Psychological Safety, Teamwork