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The reason why people remain fixated on the Titanic disaster that occurred over ninety years ago and keep discussing it endlessly is not only because it set a record in the history of maritime disasters, but more importantly, because the lessons learned from it are a permanent asset. As Mahan said in \"The Influence of Sea Power,\" \"A single lesson is of inestimable value in itself.\" What interests me are the three captains involved in this shipwreck; due to their different concepts of safety, they played distinct roles, which led to different behavioral outcomes and provided valuable lessons for people. The first captain: It is often said that victory is a trap for the victor, and this adage was proven true in the case of the Titanic’s captain and crew. It is said that these men are all top performers from the British merchant fleet, and their captain, Smith, is even more outstanding – there is no one in the entire empire who is smarter or more experienced than him, and he has never had any mistakes at sea. In the eyes of those who boarded the Titanic, it was a ship that would not sink, with crew members who would not cause it to capsize. But in fact, these characteristics are likely to be the factors at work behind the various direct causes of accidents. People* are accustomed to discussing its lessons from a control perspective. For example, the route to be taken to avoid risks was not chosen in advance ； No time with good visibility was chosen for the voyage ； The speed was not reduced to facilitate on-site control ； No additional personnel were assigned to conduct observations and provide timely feedback... In fact, the \"loss of control\" in thinking is the fundamental cause of this disaster. Because once the sense of crisis disappears, it gives rise to blind optimism, and this optimism in turn fosters recklessness, which sooner or later leads to tragedy. It is based on this factor that we can reasonably explain more of the “no’s”. For example, the captain had never organized a proper lifeboat drill for the crew, nor was there any plan to have the passengers board the lifeboats in an orderly manner; most of the crew didn’t even know how to lower the lifeboats. When disasters strike, they need to learn to do everything, which obviously results in more people losing their lives. Therefore, only with a strong sense of crisis in our mindset can we truly have security; otherwise, how can we explain why the crew of the Titanic refused to slow down despite receiving six warnings about icebergs in their path? Being so numb during this dangerous voyage doomed them to certain death. If Captain Smith had even a hint of awareness to be prepared for potential dangers, he would have been able to seize the opportunities to avoid disasters time and again ； If this ship were an ordinary ship, rather than being seen as an \"unsinkable ship,\" and if Smith were a captain who had experienced failures, perhaps he would not fall into the \"winner’s trap.\" After all, it doesn’t take much intelligence to spot icebergs posing a threat along the route, and the cause of the shipwreck isn’t particularly surprising. History does not allow for \"what ifs,\" but it can serve as a reminder to today’s captains – leaders at all levels – to avoid repeating the same mistakes. One should not always focus on the \"ceiling\" (achievements), but also pay attention to the \"floor\" (safety). Being prepared for potential threats should be the norm for leaders; without a sense of crisis, one might fall into the trap of those who have already achieved success at any given moment. The second captain: At the time of the Titanic’s disaster, the California was nearby; its distance was even visible to the naked eye. Logically, it was the ship best qualified to save many lives, but sadly its captain, Mr. Rhodes, slept through the entire night without doing anything at all. What kind of philosophy does this captain have? He indeed was filled with a sense of crisis in his thinking; having learned lessons from years of successes and failures, he was cautious and careful. In today's world, we can still see such leaders around us. When Captain Rhodes heard that there were icebergs in his route, he immediately decided to slow down ； When he saw the iceberg, he ordered the ship to stop and wait quietly for daybreak. His radio operator began warning other ships in the dangerous area. The Titanic received a warning at 7:30 p.m. and it was recorded in the logbook. The differences between Captain Rhodes and Captain Smith led them to make completely different choices; the variations in their concepts of safety determined their fates in that very moment. Captain Rhodes’ sense of crisis prevented him from suffering a catastrophic fate like that of the Titanic. The watchman on the bridge of the California saw the Titanic approaching slowly from a few miles away (1 mile equals 1,609.315 meters) that night, and then it stopped completely. The sentry thought it had taken the same measures against the iceberg as they had. Then, every few minutes, the Titanic fired rockets into the sky as a signal of distress at sea; the California assumed that some disaster must have occurred on a ship far out of sight. They didn’t even wake the communications officer to try and get in touch with the ship. We just watched helplessly as the Titanic sank to the bottom of the sea. If the California had responded immediately to the first distress signal, they might have rushed to the scene right away and saved all those who lost their lives. And so, the California failed to take any action out of fear of risk, costing many lives that could have been saved their last chance. In leadership decision-making, an organization’s mission and risks often coexist, and it is the role of leaders to make difficult choices amidst these trade-offs. But abandoning a mission for safety is unforgivable; if a fire department refuses to fight fires for its own safety, then what is the point of its existence? Captain Rodd’s philosophy clearly was not to minimize risks at all costs while fulfilling his mission, but rather to regard safety as the only priority; thus, such a scenario of failing to help those in need is another tragedy associated with the Titanic disaster. It is regrettable that such \"captains\" are not rare around us; tolerating such behavior means that the organization faces dangers far greater than its current temporary safety interests, and when a crisis strikes, the organization will have to pay a much higher price for it. The performance of the California in this maritime disaster is proof of this. Captains who hold such an attitude should think carefully before making their choices. The third captain: The third ship that played an important role that night was the Capasia, whose captain was Arthur Rossington. At 12:35 a.m. that day, the radio operator of the Carpathia rushed into the captain’s office to report that the Titanic had hit an iceberg. Luo Shiqiang remained calm; he immediately ordered the Kappasia to turn around and head full speed ahead. Later, he asked the communications officer to confirm that his report was accurate, and then arranged for his ship to be prepared to receive the survivors. This stands in sharp contrast to the California’s reaction. Luo Shiqiang also has to face the greatest risk—the iceberg. In Captain Luo Shiqiang’s mind, he was fully aware of the current situation; he was heading at full speed into the same waters where the Titanic collided with the iceberg. The dilemma in making a decision did not make him hesitate, as the lives of the passengers aboard the Titanic were in his hands. His philosophy is that safety does not mean the absence of risk; to achieve something, one must take on significant risks. For this brave person, slowing down might indeed increase his own chances of safety, but it reduced the chances of survival for the thousands who fell into the icy sea. He chose to move at full speed, but he took each step carefully to keep the risks under as much control as possible. He assigned one more person to the lookout platform, placed two more at the bow, one on each side of the bridge, and stayed himself on the bridge as well. In other words, timely and effective feedback is his most important measure for overcoming risks. At 2:45 a.m., the first iceberg was encountered. They carefully avoided it and continued on, avoiding five more icebergs in the next hour. At 4 a.m., they arrived at the location where the Titanic sent its final distress signal and began rescuing the people in the lifeboats. When the sun rose, this arduous task of rescuing the survivors was finally carried out in an orderly and well-coordinated manner, resulting in peace and safety. The passengers on the Kappasia were also influenced by the spirit of self-sacrifice among the crew; those in first class gave up their own cabins to those who survived, and the others also made every effort to do what they could. On that dark night, when the greatest maritime tragedy occurred, the crew and passengers of the Capasia showed great courage and determination; Captain Luo Shiqiang, in turn, demonstrated the proper concepts of safety for future leaders. Today’s leaders will also face the safety issues encountered by those three captains, and will have to make choices similar to those of the three captains. As the saying goes, “there is no such thing as a free lunch”; different security concepts come with certain costs in terms of decision-making. What matters is your value priorities as well as the ratio between what you give and what you get. Captain Luo Shiqiang took on the greatest risks and responsibilities to ultimately save the lives of 711 people who had fallen into the water ； Captain Roard minimized risks in an attempt to save himself, which resulted in the death of all 1,490 people on board the Titanic – 817 passengers and 673 crew members – who perished in the icy waters. Captain Smith’s blind optimism was the cause of this tragic disaster, costing not only his own life but also those of many others. The safety philosophies of these three captains and their different outcomes are worth considering by leaders at all levels today – which type of “captain” do you belong to? Shared from the internet; thanks so much!