David Hammond, Founder and CEO of Human Rights at Sea, recognizes the significance of mentorship in personal development. He asserts that achieving balance is a subjective ideal that only a few can genuinely attain. Sustaining balance requires everyone to find satisfaction in their work, performance, and impact.
David is proud of advocating for ending the abuse of human rights at sea, aligning with his core values of humanity, integrity, and tenacity. Rejecting the notion of ‘faking it until one makes it,’ he anticipates a workplace culture that embraces honesty about individual strengths and weaknesses.
SAFETY4SEA: What does ‘wellness’ mean to you? What do you do in your every day life to embrace wellness?
David Hammond: Personally, wellness means a holistic approach to being at the top of one’s game everyday and importantly, being self aware of when the work-life balance is out of kilter, then doing something about it.
S4S: What are the two things to do that can make you feel happy after a challenging day?
D.H.: Ensuring time is taken for oneself multiple times a day with small windows of calm and reflection being key.
S4S: What is the most worthwhile wellbeing investment (in energy, time, money) you’ve ever made?
D.H.: External professional mentoring and support is fundamental to self-investment to broaden perspectives and balanced considerations of how to best deliver your work and leadership roles.
S4S: What do you do to keep balance between your personal and business life?
D.H.: Balance is a subjective nirvana which few honestly achieve. As long as one is happy with their work, performance and impact, then their own balance can be maintained.
S4S: In the last five years, what new belief, behavior, or habit has most improved your personal life?
D.H.: Humanity, integrity and tenacity as core beliefs have carried me through the challenges of being a human rights’ defender.
S4S: What would you like to change in the current maritime landscape with regards to wellbeing?
D.H.: Openness not just to talking, being seen and heard but honesty from all sectors of the industry when working environments are wrong, abusive or fundamentally floored. There is too much covering up of the often harsh realities at work, to protect corporate reputations over worker needs.
S4S: What wellness-promoting initiatives would you like to see in the workplace?
D.H.: Honesty in individual strengths and weaknesses and not promoting or embracing the ill-conceived concept of ‘faking until one makes it’.
S4S: What is the one thing that you are feeling grateful at the moment?
D.H.: Support for Human Rights at Sea as an organisation and our cause to end human rights abuse at sea despite all the challenges the organisation faces on a daily basis.
S4S: What is your personal motto?
D.H.: Carpe Diem
The views presented hereabove are only those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of SAFETY4SEA and are for information sharing and discussion purposes only.
