Like most people around the world I was horrified when I began to hear reports about the capsized Costa cruise ship. As the events unfolded and it was revealed that the captain, Francesco Schettino literally jumped ship, I was appalled. I've been on a few cruises and each time I believed that the captain and crew would do what he or she could to rescue us if something bad happened. If I didn't believe that, I would have a difficult time putting my safety in the hands of either cruise ship captains or airplane pilots. Both will do what is best for his or her passengers. Right? Isn't that the way it should be?
As someone whose daily focus is on career-related issues, I couldn't help but look at Schettino's actions through this lens. I've written several times of taking ownership when one makes a mistake at work. As far as mistakes go, this one was a doozy. The man crashed his ship into rocks and then left before making sure his passengers were safely evacuated for goodness sake! Isn't "go down with the ship" one of the basic tenets of his job? But in my mind there's more to this than taking ownership of one's mistakes. It's about doing what we are being paid to do. For some jobs, that involves putting other people's lives ahead of one's own.
My colleague, About.com Guide to First Aid, Rod Brouhard, illustrated this point brilliantly in his blog post about the differences between Schettino and Captain Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger. Sullenberger, three years ago, landed the jet he was piloting safely on the Hudson River in New York City after its engines failed. Before getting rescued from the plane himself, Captain Sullenberger made sure all his passengers had been brought to land. In reference to surgeons, paramedics, police officers, firefighters, soldiers and captains, Rod says "We don't pay any of these people for the routine, mundane activities that make up most of their careers. Instead, we want them to be prepared for the moment when everything goes horribly wrong." So true.