One of the most interesting things about this case is the absolute outcry – from pretty much all parties – at the captain’s actions after the ship was damaged.   Although the idea of the captain being last to leave the ship is not formally part of international maritime law (see for example this article), it’s so much a part of the tradition that captains, and the rest of us, take it as part of the code. 

There is an old Arabic proverb which says ‘the host is both the first and the last’.  I think this shows very strongly in this case.  The Captain is clearly the host in so many ways.  He has responsibility for his guests (the passengers) while setting out into potentially unknown and dangerous conditions.  He provides for them, while also dining with them (dining at the captain’s table is a key part of seafaring and cruising tradition).  And while they honour him and he has privileges, he is ultimately the sources of final resort when aid is required. 

It’s very interesting how widely this is understood, on a very instinctive and ‘gut’ level, by so many people.  I wonder if Captain Schettino might have been a hero, rather than a villain, had he remained on board, got everyone off safely, and been winched off the ship at the last moment with a broken leg having been trapped (as happened to the ship’s cabin service director Manrico Giampedroni).  Giampedroni seems to have had a perfect idea of host leadership.

One of the aspects of host leadership about which I speak is that during a crisis, it’s the host’s role to step forwards and intervene in the interests of the guests. There was a very striking example of this during the recents riots/disturbances in London – where restaurant chefs and staff at the Ledbury restaurant in Notting Hill defended their customers with whatever was to hand! More details at tinyurl.com/3pm442p.

“One of the things I love about the Host Leadership model is it encapsulates the way I do that role – as if I was the host.  It holds true in many ways – make people feel welcome, make the purpose clear, get clear for them to do what they do.”

We discussed how the host leader is very careful in their use of power and the position.  Robert noticed very quickly that it’s easy to snuff out interesting new ideas and stifle creative interactions by going too fast, or by taking too firm a lead. 

“I don’t need to know it all, but if I show up as the host, there is a sense of allowing that goes along with that.  There is always a lot to be sorted out and in some sense it all goes in the direction it wants to go.  I have a role in that, but as soon as it gets to ‘Let’s all play this game’, try to take too much position power, and I get my conversation interrupted.   The magic has shown up when I shut up!”

You can find out more about Robert’s latest project and book at http://manifestingfornongurus.com/.

Hello Mark.  I have just read your paper on host leadership.  I want to thank you for a stimulating read.  The title caught my attention in the first place.  Teaching SFBT over the years I have found my language drifting to the host idea as well: hosting therapeutic conversations, hosting solution focused conversations.  I find the attitude of “host”, at least as I experience it, is more fitting to SF work.  I have seen plenty of examples of therapist as hero and some of therapist as servant.  Neither of these fit as well with what we are trying to teach interviewers to do as does the posture of host.  With your permission, I’ll be using your triangle in future training.
 
Your “elements” are a rich part of the read for me.  In teaching therapists what I consider their proper place as leaders, Be the first – Be the last is a good example:  Lead the way boldly into conversation about potentially worrisome areas of living – step back so the client leads with their language, their hopes, their experiences and capabilities (Insoo’s often quoted ‘leading from one step behind’).  Defining the event – Responding to what happens, I believe,  will turn out to be very helpful to new therapists who get hung up on the apparent contradiction of the ‘client as expert’ cliché.  Some therapists seem to interpret that to mean they are supposed to go wherever the client wants to go, conversationally, and of course that’s not what we do.
 
Anyway, I expect ripples over the next while from this nice new thinking of yours, and I thank you for that.  Although I am more in the therapy stream and consequently have not crossed paths often with you over there in the organizational stream, I do continually admire how you are a host leader yourself.
 
Lance.

Many thanks to Lance.  Remember that you can download the paper FREE at www.hostleadership.com, as well as sign up for news updates and the latest developments.

As a solution-focused practitioner, I am always on the lookout for what is working, what strengths people show and to be generally appreciative.  This is indeed a key aspect of any good host – imagine how it would be if we were scornful of someone’s dress or hair, for example.  However, good hosts also deploy another skill – spotting what is missing. 

Sometimes what is missing can be obvious – a guest without a seat, for example.   Other times the missing aspect may be less obvious – something is not quite right, perhaps people are a little uneasy about something, or something has not been acknowledged.  A good host (and a good host leader) will be alert to such situations and will then act to nudge things in the right direction.  The acting, however, is often a gentle nudge rather than a wholesale panic.  A chair appears by the standing guest.  A confidence-boosting word is dropped into the conversation.  A small acknowledgement is given.  And then, tension released, we can all get on with the matter in hand.

One of the participants (Amanda) convened a session on hosting and leadership.  We spent some time on discussing the connections between good hosting (which seems to involve stepping back from centre stage) and leading (showing where we want to be going).  Techno-shamen George Por had a very clear response to this - to convene a discussion is an act of leadership.  The host can enable people to be more conscious and aware of the issues – which is in itself an act of good hosting.  The host CAN lead by stepping back – but usually they have stepped forward first (with an invitation, a call, a question). 

We also discussed how hosts use language of ‘we’ rather than ‘I’ or ‘they’ – another good clue about how to spot a host leader when you see one.   More on the Art of Hosting community at http://www.artofhosting.org/home/.

Joiner and Josephs’ five levels are: Expert (solve key problems), Achiever (accomplish desired outcomes), Catalyst (mobilize breakout endeavours), Co-creator (realize shared purpose and Synergist (evoke unexpected possibilities).  The key distinction is between the first two levels, which are about somewhat heroic achievement, and the last three levels, which are post-heroic. 

It seems to be as if the further up their scale you move, the most hostly you might become.  The highest level, Synergist, is about playing a part in sparking and creating unexpected possibilities – moving well beyond the known and into embracing the emerging potential.  That sounds like a great host to me!  Check out the Leadership Agility website at http://www.leadershipagility.com/. 

By the way, an inside tip.  Stephen is working on a new project about bringing this kind of leadership wisdom within the reach of a much greater audience.  More news here as it happens.