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Watching images on TV of bodies being plucked out of the sea near the Korean resort island of Jeju has been distressing to say the least. |
Families continue to wait to be reunited with over 100 loved ones still missing, yet feared dead, in the Korean ferry disaster.
A week after tragedy struck, a nation is still in mourning.
The vessel sank in just five hours with most of the 350, mainly teenagers and young men and women onboard having no hope of surviving the cold conditions. Some escaped, over 150 bodies recovered since the incident a week ago. Almost 150 are still missing.
Yet seeing further images and stories surrounding the ship’s captain make it even more heart wrenching. Pictures of the Korean captain being helped off his own ship while scores of passengers were left behind are difficult to accept.
Like the captain of any vessel or aircraft, he or she is tasked with the responsibility of safeguarding passengers in his or her custody during any journey.
The captain of the Korean vessel Sewol and members of his crew were among the first to leave the stricken vessel, choosing to fight for personal survival, rather than help the many who perished. They are now under arrest for negligence and abandoning people in need.
South Korean President Park Geun-hye has described the actions of Captain Lee Jun Seok as “unforgiveable, murderous behaviour”.
Cowardly actions come in many forms, but there is special attention paid with a sense of shame reserved for captains who abandon ship.
The incident is reminiscent of the ill-fated Costa Concordia passenger cruise line which crashed into rocks off the Italian coast before capsizing two years ago. More than 4,000 passengers were on the ship at the time. The vast majority survived, 32 lost their lives.
The captain Francesco Schettino was arrested on preliminary charges of manslaughter in causing a shipwreck, failing to assist passengers and failing to abide by the procedures as a leader. He subsequently faced other charges such as abandoning incapacitated passengers.
Maritime experts have described such forms of abandonment as shocking – a violation of a proud international tradition of stewardship and behaviour as leaders.
Both incidents have given a whole new meaning to “abandon ship”.
This is a typical maritime tradition of the waves where a ship’s captain is expected to stay onboard until all passengers have been safely evacuated in the event a vessel enters troubled waters and begins to sink.
Certainly firmly fixed in the public mindset is Captain Edward Smith of the ill-fated Titanic, the ship that sank after hitting an iceberg on its maiden voyage from Southampton to New York over 100 years ago. The Titanic sadly is rooted in its permanent resting place two miles deep on the bed of the North Atlantic.
Captain Smith remained on or near the bridge of the ship as it went down.
He is viewed as the stereotype of how a brave captain should act, working to the last to save lives before going down with his ship, but he is also blamed by many for causing one of the worst maritime disasters of all time.
His actions continue to be commended at Titanic remembrance services every year and are recorded in maritime history books and seafarer’s training manuals.
The fascination with Captain Smith remains, whether he was to blame or not for the Titanic going down. Should captains stay with their vessel and be the last man off, or go down with it?
Smith’s actions are not far from the thoughts of many observers who watched the tragic events unfold of the Costa Concordia and, now the Sewol. For the countries where they are from – Italy and Korea respectively – abandoning ship is seen as a crime. In the US, a ship’s master must be the last person to leave after making all reasonable efforts to save others or face liability of criminal action for not adhering to maritime laws.
In 1852, while transporting British troops to war, HMS Birkenhead began to sink off the coast of South Africa. The captain called his men to attention until all women and children were led off safely onto lifeboats.
The captain and many of the troops stayed on the ship until the last, perishing in the ocean as the women and children made their way to safety. Their chivalrous act of self-sacrifice is considered to have helped set the standard for noble conduct at sea.
The actions of the Titanic’s Captain Smith and personnel on HMS Birkenhead were over a century ago. Today, we watch as two modern sea tragedies have unfolded with little for us to be proud of the men who sail them.
What we have seen in the case of the Italian and Korean incidents two years apart is how leaders shirk responsibility in a crisis. How many leaders in the corporate and political world abandon ship?
Would a leader rather abandon ship now than resign in shame later?
A former colleague recently said: “There is nothing wrong with panicking, but a leader should be able to move beyond panic and focus on finding solutions to allow for the best outcome in a dire situation. It’s hard to do that when you desert your surroundings.
“It is important to be thoughtful about how captains of industry handle the same situation. Ultimately, it would be a purely academic practice, but if one doesn’t believe in staying with the ship and continue to lead in the midst of chaos, then don’t become a leader.”
Former US president Harry S Truman famously displayed a sign on his desk: The Buck Stops Here. He knew the responsibility assumed in a leadership position. The leader is responsible for everything the organisation does – or fails to do. In a disaster, the captain goes down with the ship.
But ultimately it comes down to training and responsibility. In the case of the Titanic sinking, crew members struggled with releasing lifeboats. There was no proper training on how to utilise the lifeboats in the event of an emergency. Lifeboats were released improperly with too many or too few passengers and only one returning to rescue more passengers.
Effective leaders understand the importance of a proper training programme. Employees are their company’s greatest asset and should be afforded opportunities to be properly trained and develop their skills to be more productive. If there are failures in preparing and developing employees, companies fail their customers and everyone else dependent on business to succeed.
Don’t abandon ship to reach for the safety net in times of crisis while leaving others to suffer. Training and attitude is critical to steering a ship in the right direction.
Food for thought!
