Captain Smith’s deadly decision

Who was Captain John Edward Smith and what can we learn from him and his fateful decision?

Well Captain Smith was the most senior White Star Line captain in 1912. He was also the first and last captain of the RMS Titanic and he died with his ship when it sank.

Was he experienced? Yes.

Was he intelligent? Yes.

Did he know that icebergs were along the path from Southampton to New York? Yes.

How could he have been so foolish and what can we learn from him?

Well, the big lesson is that

• Information is only part of knowledge.

Consider two other thing that determine how we use what we know.

• Values: Captain Smith valued speed because his state-of-the-art ship made it possible for him to break the speed record for a trans-Atlantic crossing. And he could do so on its maiden voyage.

But, even so, he was an able captain and safety was important. So, what allowed him to take the risk?

• Beliefs: The Titanic had been declared “unsinkable” and maybe, just maybe, he believed it to be so.

We will never know the whole story because the truth died with him. However, we can learn a lesson from the story.

Lesson 

Values and beliefs will color the information you use to make important decisions. Are your values and beliefs in line with lasting success?

Application

Spend some time with your team in blunt, honest conversation about your organization’s real values and beliefs. What may be on the laminated card they gave you when you joined may not be reflecting the reality behind key decisions.

Put good people in a bad system and they will fail. Values and beliefs set the quality standard for your business.