When Leaders Lose Sight of Their Primary Purpose

Lives are lost.  Trust is broken. Property is destroyed. And, the captain is forever tainted with the whiff of cowardice, no matter what the outcome of official investigations to come.  That’s the sad tale of the cruise ship, Costa Concordia.

And Why?  This is why…

The captain, the crew, and possibly even the cruise line, failed to keep focused on their primary purpose.

I see the primary purpose of the captain and crew of a commercial sailing vessel as ensuring the enjoyment and safety of the passengers.  Simply that.

The events that led up to the sinking of the Costa Concordia showed evidence that this purpose, (or facsimile thereof), was nowhere in sight as the Captain chose to sail too close to shore reportedly with the intent of ‘saluting’ a former colleague who lived on the Island.

The result, of course, was a hundred and sixty foot gash in the ship’s hull; a crew that failed to follow proper evacuation procedures; panic and chaos among the passengers; and a captain who appears to have chosen self- preservation over the honour of fulfilling his obligation to the passengers.

This is not the first time this has happened.  In 1991, the cruise ship Oceanos sank in heavy seas off the coast of South Africa.  A similar scenario played out then. This time, luckily, no one died. But, the Captain and crew abandoned ship before the passengers, leaving them to seek leadership from two of the ship’s entertainers who, by all accounts, acquitted themselves bravely staying until the last passenger was safely off the ship.

This is what one of them relates about his experience:

So what does this teach us?   To me, one thing it teaches is the importance of knowing, understanding and believing in a business or organization’s fundamental reason for being; being clear about what and who it is there to serve; and then focusing all activity on the fulfillment of that purpose.

I know, it sounds easier than it is but having a really strong feeling of purpose can make the difference between doing the right things and courting disaster.

Another thing that comes to mind for me is that while leadership is about going first, in some situations, it is also about going last.  In short, whether they are ships or businesses, when they fail, good leaders , stay until the end.

What do you think?

Looking Back…A Year in Review

In this post, I want to do two things.  The first is to say “Thank you” for reading this blog, and particularly to those who have chosen to subscribe.  I like to think of this as a place of reflection and one where thoughts and ideas about leadership can be exchanged in a collegial way.  You have made it such a place.  And you have added richness to the posts that appear here by adding your own views.  Thank you.

As well, in the spirit of reflection, I want to take a little time to highlight the posts that seem to have captured your attention the most in 2011.  Feel free to rummage around in the mix.  There may be something in there you missed the first time around.  Who knows? And, if you are new here, my hope is that you will spend a little time exploring.

In January, I published Leading Collaboratively …a 21^st Century Necessity.

This post asks us to consider some of the reasons we distance ourselves from collaborative effort and suggests some ways that leaders can help others choose a collaborative approach over more independent strategies.  It also includes a great video clip that demonstrates the power of effective collaboration.

In February, there was The Importance of Being Care-Full

There continue to be those who believe that caring for people is not an organizational imperative.  I think it is.  And, I explain in this post what caring really looks like in a practical way.

In March, we talked about Leadership and Curiosity and examined some of the possible reasons we can easily lose touch with our inquisitive muscle.

In April, I offered for your consideration Encouraging Innovation & The Story of the 5 Monkeys.  This post is meant to demonstrate how easily we can become conditioned to doing things in certain ways without really knowing why.  And it asks us to consider this: As leaders, how do we invite innovation and creative thinking into our workplaces?

In May, I posted Going First.  This post suggests that leadership is fundamentally about going first.  It also examines the tension that leaders must manage every day between doing too much or too little of well, just about everything, and includes some ideas about how leaders can go first while convincing everybody else involved that it’s a good idea.

In June, we talked about the importance of Straight Talk.  In this post, there are a number of principles meant to guide us in our conversations with others designed to help us establish a Straight Talk environment.

In July, I assumed my follower role and considered what it would take to make me want to follow someone in …And I’ll Follow You Anywhere

In August, as the summer drew to an end, we discussed what it takes to get moving again after the summer sun has worked its magic in, Getting Back to Work ~ What motivates Us.

In September, We looked at what it means to care and care-take in, Caring or Care-taking?…A Fine Distinction

And finally, following the death of Steve Jobs in October, I offered this post, Valuing Differences…Here’s to the Crazy Ones.  This one includes a powerful and really short video narrated by Steve Jobs that makes this one a post you enjoyed a lot.

And that’s it, for this year anyway… except for this. My wish for you is that 2012 will be one of prosperity, learning, growth, good health and much happiness.  As Captain Picard was so fond of saying, “Make it so”