The O’Toole Chronicles: Lessons Learned from the Costa Concordia

I was recently watching a documentary on the disastrous end of the $612 million cruise ship, Costa Concordia, and was a tad surprised by the sad details of this epic disaster. I was aware at the time when the ship crashed, but the profound details of ineptitude and failure of leadership never made the news. Let’s get to the end–due to an epic failure to lead and chronic failures to prepare, this disaster led to 32 deaths: 27 passengers and five crew members. One additional individual died as part of the salvage team. While the deaths and injuries were the worst of it, let me add that over $2 billion was paid out in damages and the boat was totaled beyond repair. Han Solo dies.

Let’s start from the beginning.

On January 13, 2012, the Costa Concordia was on the first leg of a cruise around the Mediterranean when the ship deviated from the scheduled path, came within several hundred feet of the coastline, and struck a rock. The ship took on water and soon began to list. Panic ensued, and chaos was found in every corner of the massive ship. Due to gross negligence and absence of leadership, the fate of those 4,200 passengers was left in the lurch as they scrambled on their own to exit the sinking ship. Those deaths and those injuries were a direct result of the failure to lead. Captain Francesco Schettino was in charge and had worked for 11 years for this cruise line. Judging by his unimaginable behavior, one would have thought it was his first day at the academy.

First things first. The ship deviated from the original path so the captain could perform a sail-by salute to individuals on the island of Giglio. The captain had a sister and mother living there, and the captain also had an unofficial passenger with him on the bridge. Allegedly, the captain kept company with a young 26-year-old dancer named Dominica Cemortan, an unpaid passenger, and inexplicably she was on the bridge during this critical moment. Throughout the panic, the captain never communicated that the boat was taking on water; he simply said there was a power outage. When asked if he needed help from the Italian Coast Guard, he downplayed the incident and never would utter the words “abandon ship,” which could have allowed the lowering of all the rescue boats in a timely manner. The captain’s delay and misconduct were played out in a trial where he was convicted of charges of manslaughter and for violations of the Italian Penal Code and Code of Navigation, having caused the shipwreck “owing to… imprudence, negligence and incompetence.” Captain Francesco Schettino was sentenced to 16 years in jail. One of the biggest reveals during the trial was that, despite the captain’s absolute failure to declare “abandon ship” in a timely and life-saving manner, the captain himself left the ship while over 300 passengers were still onboard and trying to figure out how to survive the ship, which was at this time nearly on its side. It should be noted that five other individuals were found guilty of manslaughter, negligence, and wrecking. Time for lessons learned.

What should have been an ordinary day at sea, turned out to be one of the biggest maritime disasters in modern history.

This disaster was a direct result of a colossal failure to lead.

We have all experienced that leadership is tested well before any crisis or disaster strikes. Leadership is forged in preparation, discipline, humility, and accountability. When Captain Schettino (no relationship to John in Bergen County) departed from accepted navigation procedures to perform an unnecessary close pass to the shore, his first failure already occurred. Pride was substituted for judgement. Next came hesitation.

Minutes matter during a crisis. Yet precious time slipped away before the passengers and crew were informed of the real danger and before a real effort was made to abandon ship. This delay created panic, and the accident morphed into a catastrophe.

During the trial, it became clear that the crew was not properly prepared. Emergency drills, communication, and crew coordination were inconsistent. The crew had not been trained on emergency protocols, and the language barriers among the crew made it difficult to communicate effectively.

The most egregious fact that surfaced in this tragedy was not that the ship was totaled, but rather that the captain left the vessel when hundreds were left behind. Every leader knows the rule: your responsibility ends only when everyone entrusted to your care is safe.

Leadership isn’t about accepting the title and uniform; it is accepting the weight that comes with the job.

The Costa Concordia reminds us that leadership is rarely judged on ordinary days. It is judged in moments of uncertainty, when calm, competence, and courage are the order of the day.

The best leaders prepare before they are tested. They rehearse difficult circumstances and have difficult conversations. They empower their teams. And when mistakes happen, leaders own up to them.

Writer’s note: I recently had the opportunity to visit the Giglio Island where the survivors of the Concordia were brought to be triaged. This small, understated, and beautiful island punched way above its weight on that day as the villagers compassionately took care of the thousands of victims. If you are ever in or around Porto Ercole or Port Santo Stefano, take the short boat ride to Giglio—well worth it.