An interview with the real Captain Phillips who survived a Somali piracy attack

Ever since his story has been told in A Captain’s Duty: Somali Pirates, Navy SEALs, and Dangerous Days at Sea, and the movie, Captain Phillips, Captain Richard Phillips is not an unknown hero.

Captain of the commercial US cargo ship Maersk Alabama, his was the first US cargo ship to be held hostage by Somalian pirates in America’s 200-year-old history.

It was Phillips’ courage that ensured his crew could find a safe passage. In the city for the Zee Leadership Series, Phillips spoke about his experience and his learning from the crisis. Edited excerpts from the interview:

What was the key learning from the crisis?
I would say my crew of 18 was instrumental in dealing with the crisis. We worked as a team and were constantly evolving to be successful. Teamwork, procedures, knowledge to take everyone and everyone having their set duties and performing them diligently. It is also important to take some of the emotions away from the situation as the adrenalin is flowing and your emotions are high during this time. In case of emergencies, the guy who will be a problem child or screw things up does the exact right thing.

How can these learning be used in personal and professional life to deal with challenges?
Most assuredly they can be used and at any level. We have to get our weakest link elevated to a higher level of capability and professional ability. We have to build them up through training, knowledge, and drills. I keep telling my crew that your first initial reaction dictates the outcome of the incident. Initial reaction is really what saves the day and training gets us through with the experience (acquired).

In the ever-changing environment how does one still make these learning relevant?
The way we have been trained may not work in a new or contemporary situation. So, even when you are doing something you have to constantly evaluate and check if this is really going to get me where I want to be... We should never give up. We cannot be satisfied and complacent with what we did yesterday as it may not work today.

Any message you would want to give to the audience?
… what I have learnt from this incident is that we are stronger than what we even know. All our lives we worry about our job, schools and family responsibility; we feel we cannot do it but we get through. We can do more if we choose not to give up. Nothing is really over until we choose to give up.