Wiebbe Hayes Fort, located on a remote island off the coast of Western Australia, is one of the earliest known European structures in the country. It wasn’t built by architects, soldiers or planners. Rather, it was built by a group of shipwreck survivors under the leadership of Wiebbe Hayes, a humble soldier who unexpectedly found himself responsible for the lives of dozens of stranded passengers after the Batavia disaster in 1629.

With no formal authority, no resources, and no guidance from superiors, Hayes turned a desperate situation into an extraordinary demonstration of leadership. He organised his group, built a defensive fort from available materials, established routines, created a collaborative culture, and ultimately helped save many lives — all in the face of chaos and uncertainty.

This story carries powerful lessons for modern organisations.

Most leadership frameworks focus on strategy, planning, and structure. Yet much of real leadership emerges in moments when structure is absent. In organisations, these moments appear as:

  • sudden market disruptions
  • unexpected customer dissatisfaction
  • internal crises
  • system outages
  • ambiguous organisational direction
  • cultural instability
  • rapid growth that outpaces processes

In these moments, employees look to leadership not for instructions, but for clarity, confidence, and empowerment.

Wiebbe Hayes’ leadership demonstrates that authority is not a title; it is a behaviour.

  • He listened.
  • He organised.
  • He motivated.
  • He coordinated.
  • He acted decisively.
  • He aligned people around a shared goal.
  • And most importantly, he protected those in his care.

At Engaged Strategy, we see repeatedly that frontline empowerment is one of the strongest predictors of customer loyalty. Customers become Promoters when frontline employees:

  • solve problems quickly
  • show ownership
  • make decisions without excessive escalation
  • demonstrate care
  • act confidently without waiting for permission

But this mindset does not appear on its own.
It must be created deliberately by leadership.

Many organisations unintentionally suppress empowerment by imposing rigid processes, conflicting KPIs, and excessive hierarchy. Employees then hesitate, fearing negative consequences for taking initiative. This leads to slow response times, poor customer experiences, and high effort scores — all of which show up in NPS feedback.

Wiebbe Hayes Fort shows what happens when the frontline feels responsible, trusted, and aligned: people act, innovate, and protect the customer’s experience.

This is why Engaged Strategy focuses heavily on leadership alignment, behavioural expectations, CX governance, and employee engagement modelling. Empowerment thrives when leaders set clear principles, remove unnecessary barriers, and reinforce behaviours that reflect the brand promise.

In crises, great leaders don’t just manage tasks. Instead, they create structure where none exists.
They provide psychological safety.
They offer direction, not micromanagement.
They unite people through purpose, not pressure.

Wiebbe Hayes never expected to lead.
But when circumstances demanded leadership, he rose above his role and inspired others to rise with him. That is the kind of leadership customers feel. That is the kind of leadership cultures trust.

And that is the kind of leadership organisations need to thrive in difficult times.

 

NPS®, Net Promoter® and Net Promoter Score® are registered trademarks of NICE Satmetrix Systems, Inc., Bain & Company and Fred Reichheld.