Victory Cruise Lines’ Waggoner: ‘Captains Have To Get Their Hands Dirty, Too’

For John Waggoner, the founder and chairman of Victory Cruise Lines, to be a leader is a sacred thing responsibility. Many hands make for light work, he believes, and the higher you rise, the more willing you should be to pitch in.

That philosophy runs through Victory Cruise Lines, which carries guests across the Great Lakes and America’s historic waterways. Waggoner expects everyone on board to do whatever the moment requires.

He makes the point during the company’s annual orientation with a story. One day, while walking a ship, Waggoner spotted deckhands washing the windows. Nearby, the captain sat drinking coffee and reading his newspaper. Waggoner asked him to help.

“But I’m the captain,” the man said in defiance.

For Waggoner, a captain is supposed to lead by example, not slough off a little work—so he fired the guy. “This isn’t a story about washing windows,” Waggoner said on a recent episode of the Corporate Competitor Podcast. “This is a story about all of us together doing whatever needed to be done on board to make it a perfect product for our guests.”

Growing up, he learned about competition as an endurance athlete. A cross-country runner and hurdler (he recently completed the grueling Escape from Alcatraz triathlon), he understood that a race isn’t about a quick start or even a good burst. It’s about consistency and vision.

With that as his foundation, he created his impressive company one step at a time.

“A marathon is 26 one-mile races,” Waggoner says. “That idea constantly reinforces in me that I can do whatever I set my mind to.”

John talked about all this and more on the podcast, including:

• Ask the right questions. When asking for feedback from his guests, John doesn’t say, “How was your cruise?” He knows he won’t get honest responses. Instead, he asks, “If you were the owner of this boat, give me three things you’d change.” The longer it takes them to answer, the better he’s done.

• Wear the toolbelt. For Waggoner, management is best when leaders work alongside people. In other words, if you put on a toolbelt, it changes how people see you. “When I put on a toolbelt and work with people, at some point they forget who I am,” he says.

• Compartmentalize. To be a leader of a large company requires many hats. Trying to do it all at once would drive anyone mad. So, Waggoner remembers that no race is won in a single step. “Any time you’re doing things,” he says, “break it down—compartmentalize.”