Icebergs

I’m heading out for meetings today but I wanted to remind you of an anniversary occurring today.  On this day in 1912 Titanic sank after hitting an iceberg the evening before. 1,517 people died and more than 700 people survived.  Titanic was supposed to be “unsinkable” despite her size.  Every bit of early 20th century technology was in her, she was fast, safe and huge.  I’m going to assume that you know the story even if it’s from watching the movie.

The crew knew there were icebergs in her path and adjusted course somewhat.  Messages from other ships about ice never went to the bridge since the radio operators, who were there to serve the passengers and not the ship itself,  thought they were non-essential.  By the time the lookouts saw the one that sank the ship, action could not be taken quickly enough to avoid a collision.

When you have the latest and greatest technology or advanced systems built into minding your business, it’s easy to assume you’re unsinkable.  When things are going well problems sometimes don’t surface – the systems catch and fix them.   As a lot of businesses have found out over the last couple of years, the icebergs can do a lot of damage when you rely too heavily on that technology to protect you, don’t analyze what they’ve been dealing with and don’t keep adjusting your course.  By the time problems reach the last line of defense it’s too late.