As we sail into a new year, many leaders face significant challenges: navigating change, addressing employee morale and turnover, and driving engagement and productivity. I firmly believe that with every challenge comes an opportunity to lead effectively. But success can sometimes create blind spots that can cause even the experienced to stumble when taking on new responsibilities or environments.
The infamous Titanic disaster offers some vivid examples that illustrate some of the mission-critical mistakes leaders must avoid to steer their teams toward success.
Mistake #1: Overconfidence
Success doesn’t guarantee future success—especially in a world of constant change. Leaders can fall into the trap of believing past achievements automatically translate to new situations. The owners of the Titanic exemplified this overconfidence, branding their massive ship as “unsinkable.” Most people are aware that this blind arrogance led to assumptions that cost over 1,500 lives, notably having far fewer lifeboats than needed for the number of passengers onboard.
But this assumption of invincibility meant nominal pre-voyage testing, that demonstrated how long it would take to slow and maneuver the ship at sea, if needed. Further, the staff was not trained in safety protocols. In fact the planned briefing of passengers was scheduled to take place later in the day the ship had its fateful encounter with the iceberg.
For today’s leaders, overconfidence might look like skipping critical preparations or dismissing team concerns. It’s essential to remain grounded, continually assess evolving conditions, and adopt a learner’s mindset. Confidence is vital, but when unchecked, it can blind leaders to emerging risks.
Leadership Tip: Check your assumptions. Take the time to reflect and articulate them so you can better steer clear of blind spots when facing new challenges.
Mistake #2: Overusing a Strength
When under pressure, it’s tempting to double down on what’s worked in the past. On the Titanic, the captain—renowned for his skill in steering ships— reversed the engines while attempting to maneuver the massive vessel around the iceberg. Computer simulations carried out in 1998 showed that far less damage would have been done if he had cut engines and directly struck the iceberg. “Damage would have been confined to the forward end and Titanic would not have sunk.” Far fewer lives would have been lost, but it would have prevented the cascading failure that ultimately sank the ship.
Keeping your nose to the grindstone means you can’t get a broader perspective and be intentional about the approach to solve the current problem. Every challenge offers an opportunity to leverage existing strengths and explore untapped skills.
Leadership Tip: If progress seems elusive, get curious and ask more questions before you work harder. What are some other skills or perspectives that could help you with your current issue? Balance grit with curiosity to explore new approaches and develop fresh capabilities.
Mistake #3: Overlooking the Basics
In the rush to take action, leaders can overlook small but essential details that can derail plans. The crew on the lookout in the crow’s nest that fateful date lacked binoculars—a simple but critical tool for spotting hazards. Due to a last-minute staffing change, the key to the cabinet holding the binoculars wasn’t returned to the ship, and no one realized the oversight.
In organizations, the “forgotten binoculars” might look like missing meeting details, unclear or overlooked communications, or outdated processes. Overlooking these fundamentals can erode trust and efficiency, creating more work in the long run.
When doing visual facilitation with clients where we create visual frameworks through facilitated discussion, it’s a way to help everyone see the big picture together. You can more readily spot gaps, misunderstandings and different interpretations that might otherwise be overlooked. Having a common understanding paves the way for alignment, collaboration and commitment needed so your team can better move forward and do great work together, even in the face of uncertainty and challenge.
Leadership Tip: Set your team up for success by ensuring they have the resources, processes, and training they require. Ensure you’ve got clear communication to prevent small errors from snowballing. Prioritize attention to detail, even when moving at high speed.
Recognizing these mistakes helps you chart your course with greater intention and clarity. Keep the Titanic in mind as an instructive metaphor of how intentions and assumptions can do devastatingly off course.
Change is the constant we must all expect and often can’t control. Yet we can each control how we engage ourselves and others in that journey of change.
If you’d like support with leadership within your organization or team, let’s connect to explore whether the Adaptive Advantage (™) program or Level Up Leadership executive coaching program can help!
