The F*** You Fence

In March of 2014, the late, great Captain Jeffrey Monroe taught the first ever Maritime Port Executive course in Portland, Maine. At that time, I was a young port professional, still getting my “sea legs” in the industry, and acting as Terminal Manager for the small container terminal that was hosting the course.  

Captain Jeff, in his typical fashion, presented the course with his bombastic style, and there I sat, drinking from the fire house, trying to take in a bewildering amount of information in the too-short week. In addition to presenting his course material, Captain Jeff would encourage dialogue between attendees.  It was incredible to learn about how other ports operated and draw on the experience of my fellow students. 

Getting to see the industry from various perspectives was the perfect cure to the myopia of my day-to-day; where my world began and ended at the terminal gates. There was always something urgent that needed doing within the fenced perimeter of the terminal: equipment breakdowns, project planning, gates stuck in snow, deer swimming ashore and climbing onto the terminal, and so on. Hearing how folks from outside of the terminal viewed the port industry was invaluable. 

One such student with an outside perspective was a city planner, who, during a lively interchange about the role of ports in cities, quipped: “you port people put up a f*** you fence and do whatever you feel like behind it.”

Needless to say, the “f*** you fence” was an unforgettable image, and a valuable lesson about stakeholder engagement. What message are we sending to our community? How do they view the port? Do they feel like we’re telling them “f*** you”?

It’s tempting to view local stakeholders as a nuisance, especially when they are vocally opposing a project that would benefit the city and the region. Staying behind the f*** you fence can be cathartic, but it’s not an effective long-term strategy. 

For the sake of our plans, our projects, and the success of our ports, we have to find opportunities to meaningfully engage our stakeholders. Someone is always going to be pissed off about something we’re doing at the port, there’s no helping that. But that’s no excuse to throw our arms up and get behind the fence. We have to do what we can to educate our stakeholders, generate buy-in, and create a sense of shared interest in the success of the port.

Because if we don't, and if we’re sending them a “f*** you” message, we can expect the same in return.