Chief Bill Boyd does a great job of asking the important questions about the Captain of the Costa Concordia, the massive luxury cruise liner than ran aground off the Italian coast. The central question he raises is about the character of the Captain.
Leadership it seems always comes down to questions of character and Boyd rightly contrasts the self-centered and self-serving Captain with the likes of Sully who not only skillfully landed the plane on the Hudson, but in the tradition of the Captain of the Titanic, was the last to leave the plane.
This event, and questions raised about character such as Bill outlines, should cause some soul searching among emergency management professionals. First, among those who have found themselves by accident or design to be the ones to take command. They should ask themselves if they really know what they would do if everything was on the line. And, if they find themselves lacking in the critical areas of actually serving the people they are assigned to serve and protect, they should step aside.
But the key question that this event raises for me is, wasn't Captain Francesco Schettino's character better known by those who placed him in this position of responsibility? I have to believe, and it will likely come out in the criminal prosecution certain to come, that the Captain's superiors had plenty of warning. I just find it very hard to see how some one, with the seriousness of deficiency in leadership and judgment that this Captain demonstrated didn't display these failings much earlier. I would guess it will come out that the failings were obvious, but he was elevated to his level of extreme incompetence by other factors--like friendships, politics, money or favoritism.
Pure speculation, of course, but the issue is important. If those in the position to appoint or authorize emergency response leaders do not take the real leadership qualities and the character of their designees in consideration, it may be that the world and perhaps the courts, will hold them liable.
This event provides an excellent reminder that character matters, and if it is quite clearly lacking in those who have risen to the role of response leader, now is the time to get serious about making changes.
