The Costa Concordia disaster has shown once again that the only possible way to handle bad news is be completely honest …because the truth will get out there faster than your version of what happened. Even before captain Francesco Schettino had formulated his statement that they’d hit a rock not marked on the chart, pictures of the stricken vessel on its side just metres from the shoreline were available around the world. Even before the cruise company had issued their statement saying that the evacuation procedure had been carried out with professionalism and efficiency, phone footage of panic and hysteria (which proved to be completely justified) showed the reality – it might be 2012 but the Titanic experience is still very real. Costa Cruises who own the ship got it right – Acknowledge Concern, Control Information, Take Action. They immediately acknowledged the scale of the disaster, expressed their shock at events and sympathy for the victims and their families, made it clear that most of the information was rumour and hearsay, and said they were concentrating on the rescue operation. By doing that they positioned themselves as the organisation responsible for dealing with the situation. But the hapless Captain Schettino found himself in the position he should have done everything to avoid – being the first, the most prominent, and easiest person to blame.
Tags: Captain Schettino, Concordia, Costa, Cruise, Titanic
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