7 Leadership Lessons from The Titanic

I used to have a large picture of the Titanic hanging in my office as a reminder that even the most impressive organizations can fail very quickly. Built in Ireland and finished in 1912, the Titanic was the largest passenger ship in the world with a capacity to carry over 3,500 people. The luxurious ship was almost three football fields long and deemed unsinkable. And yet, it never finished its first voyage, and it took only 160 minutes for the ship to sink claiming the lives of over 1,500 people. Even though this tragedy took place over 110 years ago, this story still captivates our interest today. Here are 7 lessons every leader can learn from the tragedy of the Titanic.

1. Clear vision of what lies ahead is vital.

You may have heard it said – where there is no vision, people perish, (this comes from Proverbs 29). This proved to be literally true in the story of the Titanic. Two staff members manned the crow’s nest of the ship 24 hours a day, looking for concerns. On the evening of the crash, they were on the lookout but were missing the binoculars that would help them see what lay ahead. The absence of the binoculars and the difficulty of accurately seeing at night resulted in failing to notice the iceberg until it was too late. Leaders need to focus on ensuring a clear vision of what lies ahead for their organization.

2. Over-confidence can result in letting your guard down.

Building the most impressive ship in the world. Having the most experienced captain. Believing you have an unsinkable ship. Hosting some of the wealthiest and most powerful people in the world. All of this was true of the Titanic. Over-confidence can lead to a sense of invincibility for any leader. When we start to feel hyper-confident and think that the success we are experiencing will definitely continue, this is the very time to keep our guard up and resist any and all temptation to let it down.

3. Things that look impressive on the outside may be less so on the inside.

The Titanic was extraordinary for ships in that era. It had 900 crew members, a restaurant, 1,000 bottles of wine, 5 grand pianos, a smoking room, and even a pool. This was impressive! But the inner workings of the ship were less impressive. Some of the staff members were not trained, and those that were experienced had little opportunity to become knowledgeable about the new ship. This, along with issues of sub-standard materials and a fire that was burning in one of the coal bins, reveals that what was visible was more impressive than what was not seen. Leaders would be wise to make sure we invest as much time working on the invisible as we do on the visible.

4. Always plan for worst-case scenarios.

Albert Einstein said, “Assumptions are made and most assumptions are wrong.” There were plenty of wrong assumptions made by the builders and operators of the Titanic. One of the biggest assumptions was that it was invincible. This, along with the belief that if something happened other ships would be nearby and there would be plenty of time to help the passengers, resulted in the ship only carrying 20 rescue boats. Not enough leaders plan for a variety of scenarios including Black Swan events – those events that are unexpected and can result in extreme and devastating consequences.

5. Very small things can make a very big difference.

Approximately 3,000,000 rivets were holding the Titanic together. And there is a belief that the builder of the ship used some rivets that contained excess amounts of slag, which made the rivets weaker and more brittle in the cold water of the North Atlantic. When the ship scraped along the iceberg, these weakened rivets began to break, allowing water to flood in. All of us as leaders can learn from this – failing to pay attention to the small things in our organizations, our products or services, and our personal lives can lead to catastrophic failure.

6. Listening to what others are saying is essential.

How could six warnings of ice be ignored by the Titanic? It’s really not that hard. A combination of busyness, broken equipment, and opportunities to make money by relaying the messages of wealthy passengers instead. As leaders, we would be wise to be slow to throw stones in the direction of the radio operators of the Titanic. Many of us are viewed as less than adequate when it comes to listening to those around us. Even when we think we are listening, we may just be attuned to those who agree with us – the proverbial echo chamber. Leaders cannot afford to miss vital messaging.

7. Striving to impress others can result in unintended outcomes.

There was a lot of press surrounding the building of the Titanic. The biggest ship. An impressive list of wealthy passengers. The most experienced captain. A desire to impress others by getting the ship to New York ahead of schedule. However, striving to live up to expectations and believing the impressive things that are being said about us or our organization can lead us to make unwise decisions. When I was in 6th grade, I was into karate, and I decided to demonstrate my karate skills on my rather large uncle during a family gathering. Instead, I faceplanted and ended up on the floor. When leaders strive too hard to impress, they too can end up unexpectedly on the floor.

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Jay Desko is the CEO of The Center Consulting Group and brings experience in the areas of organizational assessment, leadership coaching, decision-making, and strategic questioning. Jay’s degrees include an M.Ed. in Instructional Systems Design from Pennsylvania State University and a Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior and Leadership from The Union Institute.