Report on "Lessons From the Bottom of the Sea"

 Posted per a request.

"Lessons from the Bottom of the Sea:
Supervisory Concepts form the Last Hours of the Titanic"

In his presentation, Dr. Douglas R. Wermedal, identifies ten key supervisory concepts based on lessons learned during the first and last voyage of the RMS Titanic.

1. Appearance is important
• make things look good and give your full attention to task
• the 4th stack on Titanic was non-functioning, yet paintings/drawings show it with smoke billowing like the rest
2. The task in front of you is larger than you alone can manage
• communication, collaboration, relationships; what matter is success, not if you get along
3. Facing issues head on is usually the best course
• the RMS Olympic, Titanic's sister ship, collided with the HMS Hawke, while damage was sustained, due to the nature of the head on collision, neither ship sank
• if Titanic has hit the ice burg head on (instead of trying to port about), it wouldn't have sank as a single point of the ship would have been exposed to damage instead of the full side
4. The past is a teacher of skills, not a predictor of the future
• Doug read a quote about Captain E.J. Smith's successful career before becoming captain of Titanic
5. Pay attention to warnings

• be vigilant in watching for indicators of problems/issues
• six ice burg warnings were received on Titanic
6. The biggest problem of the day may be lurking behinds a smaller problem you have already solved
• watch for bending/breaking of policies and procedures, have this information written out and available for reference
• while watertight compartments on Titanic were vertically water tight, they were not watertight horizontally (like an ice tray)
7. Are your precautions precautionary enough?
• be vigilant of happenings in the department, building, university
• the Titanic had a coal fire on board from the moment of departure, Captain Smith is so relieved that the fire is out he pockets and ignores ice burg warning notes
8. Your response to a mistake can often be worse than the original mistake itself
• your response sets the tone, internal and external, of the mistake response - admit the mistake and suggest a fix
• the initial response was to get White Star staff back to England from New York, this is perceived as a cover up
9. Follow procedure and rely on your training
•  policy and procedure are premade decisions, set when staff can rationally discuss and consider actions; be resolute in orders during times of crisis
10. Use those above you as resources to overcome potential problems
• there is someone above you looking out after you, there is someone below you for you to look out for 
• perfect storm: F. Fleet, the look out on Titanic, had no binoculars; no moon to reflect the water surface; no wind to create waves -- in the crow's nest Fleet is the first to know Titanic is in trouble and sound the warning