How do you handle or deal with unmet expectations or changes that are outside your control? Do you complain and spread negative energy or accept it and make the most of it? More importantly, as a leader, how do you stay calm, instill confidence, and take care of the people impacted?

My husband and I are just back from a 13-day Viking cruise called “In Search of the Northern Lights”. Did we see them? Yes, check. Did we see and do everything that was promised in the itinerary when we booked the cruise? No.

A few hours into our first night at sea the captain announced that there was a medical emergency onboard and that we were heading back to our port of origin, Bergen, Norway. Within an hour he announced that there would be a medical evacuation by helicopter instead. A sign that the guest’s medical situation had worsened. He and his team handled it effectively as they were trained to do.

For the rest of us, the next few days were sailing north of the Arctic Circle with stunning scenery plus tours and excursions on land in Alta and Tromso, learning more about Norway’s history, culture, social systems, the impact of climate change in the Arctic, and the life of indigenous Norwegians, the Sami people.

On day 7, the captain announced the bad news that would affect all of us. Due to a weather system with hurricane level winds, we were going to stay in our current port, Tromso, an extra day, skip the next two ports altogether (Narvik, Norway and Amsterdam), and have an extra day at sea once we could safely start to sail again. So, we were faced with three sailing days from Tromso heading straight to London where we were to disembark. On the first of the three sea days, the captain gave us more bad news. We weren’t surprised, we physically felt what was happening on the sea.

We had left Tromso when there was a break in the storm but ended up at sea in very high winds. We later learned that the winds were up to 60-70 miles an hour and the waves were up to 25-40 feet. That meant very slow going. The captain informed us that because of the slow sailing speed and the alternate course we had to take to avoid more dangerous sailing, our three days would turn into four days, and we’d be a day late getting to London. Eventually that turned into five days at sea and two days late getting to London.

As we rocked and rolled our way south, flight changes were worked out by the cruise line or by individuals who had made their own arrangements. And we all adjusted in our own ways.

As the days at sea stretched out and the sea became calmer, I made the most of the situation. After all, a cruise ship is like being in a nice hotel where you are fed, entertained, and can find lots of places to just sit quietly and read. There were many kinds of music options throughout the day and evening – and yes, once the boat was not rocking so much, we danced every night in the club onboard.

The lectures were phenomenal. I learned much from the multiple different lecturers – stories of the early Arctic explorers, the history of Norway in WWII, Norway’s modern monarchy, astronomy and the galaxies, photography tips and use of drones, and much more. (Yes, the image here is mine taken on my iPhone 13). They even showed a few episodes of the “Drain the Ocean” series. While the series includes fascinating use of technology, maybe watching shipwreck mysteries when sailing on such rough seas is not the best idea.

The cruise director and her team had to come up with two more days of entertainment and education as we weren’t going on excursions in ports. They even arranged for a Super Bowl viewing and pre-game party in the main theater. We were on London time at that point so the game started at 11:30PM. They showed it again the next day at 6PM for those who didn’t stay up that late. And of course, we were well fed every day.

What’s my “so what”? Some things are out of your control with weather at the top of the list. As healthcare leaders, we have all experienced weather and other events that impact day-to-day care delivery and test the resilience of our infrastructure and systems. As travelers, the leader we all counted on was the ship’s captain. His updates were done calmly and with confidence assuring us that we were safe, and that the ship was built to withstand the sea conditions as he made speed and route changes that week. And he gave credit to the entire crew on the last night at the farewell reception bringing many on to the stage with him so we could acknowledge and thank everyone behind the scenes who made the trip possible.  It was a lesson in leading calmly, with confidence, being flexible, and recognizing the team effort.