Professional Mariners: 5 Ways to Develop Your Inner Leadership Onboard
- Marion Monnier
- Nov 4
- 3 min read
Today, I want to speak directly to you, professional mariner, who manages a crew on a daily basis.
You know this position can be challenging: keeping the ship on course, ensuring safety, and maintaining crew cohesion in sometimes high-pressure conditions.
Maybe you’ve already taken leadership courses, attended workshops, or read books about communication, motivation, or team management.
Yet, there’s often a gap between theory and reality.
Despite all that you’ve learned, there are still moments when things get tense: fatigue, misunderstandings, or tough decisions weighing on you…
And that’s completely normal.
Because between traditional management — based on hierarchy, orders, and performance — and a more human, conscious, and fluid approach, there is a space to explore.
This is where inner leadership comes into play.
What is Inner Leadership?
For me, inner leadership is the ability to guide yourself before guiding your crew.
It’s when you understand that everything starts with you:
your energy,
your attitudes,
your thoughts and beliefs,
your emotions,
your presence.
Everything you radiate — what you think, feel, and believe — directly influences the dynamics of your crew.
Before trying to “manage” others, you observe your inner world and realign what is blocking or supporting you.
Through my years of sailing, training, and personal development, I’ve realized something essential:You can attend all the leadership courses in the world, but if you don’t work on your inner alignment, your body, your energy, your uniqueness, nothing will change at a deep level.
Inner leadership is a return to yourself, a conscious navigation of your energy and presence, so that your influence on the crew is authentic, clear, and constructive.
5 Ways to Develop Your Inner Leadership Onboard
Return to Your Energy
Before anything else, observe your internal state.
When tensions rise or fatigue sets in, ask yourself: How do I feel right now?
If you’re tense, controlling, or frustrated, your crew will feel it too.
Re-centering your energy allows you to act from a calm and aligned place.
Truly Listen to Your Crew
Leadership isn’t just about giving the right orders.
It’s primarily about actively listening: words, silence, and subtle cues.
Often, crew members don’t need a solution—they need to be heard.
Listening fosters trust, which is the foundation of any effective crew.
Let Go of Excessive Control
You can’t control everything: weather, reactions, unforeseen events.
And that’s okay.
Trying to control everything often compensates for internal insecurity.
Inner leadership is about acting without tension, trusting your team, and allowing space for the flow of life onboard.
Explore Your Human Design
I always use Human Design in my coaching.
It’s the map of your energy blueprint, helping you understand:
How you make decisions,
How your energy flows,
Your natural strengths and potential tension points.
This reading is often a turning point, helping you navigate from your authentic self rather than from external expectations.
Embrace Your Humanity
A good leader is not someone who never doubts.
It’s someone who can acknowledge their emotions, admit fatigue, or ask for support.
Showing your humanity doesn’t make you weak.
It allows your crew to be authentic, responsible, and engaged.
It All Starts With You
Leadership isn’t a posture to adopt—it’s a presence to cultivate.
When you learn to listen to your body, energy, and inner truth, everything aligns more naturally:
Tensions diminish,
interactions become smoother,
and the joy of sailing returns.
Your crew doesn’t need a “perfect captain.” They need a present, aligned, and human leader.
Want to Explore Your Inner Compass?
I have created Inner Compass, a reading of your Human Design, specially designed for professional mariners:
✔️ Decision-making: follow your true course with more ease.
✔️ Energy management: sail without exhaustion.
✔️ Clarity and grounding: move forward from who you truly are.
👉 Discover this gentle and powerful first step to explore your inner leadership, at sea and on land: Learn more about Inner Compass
Want to talk about it?
You can also book a free 30-minute connection call to discuss your needs and find the coaching approach that suits you best.
Wishing you a lovely day.
Marion
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