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What Joe Paterno, The Titanic, and Christian Business Have in Common?

By on February 2, 2012 in Business Practices

In a little more than a couple of months, we will recognize the 100th anniversary of an incredible disaster. It was just before midnight on April 14th, 1912 that the “unsinkable” Titanic sank, taking with it the lives of over 1,500 victims. Though there are very few people alive today that were alive then, this is not an event that will soon be forgotten. It has been the subject of multiple movies, books, and innumerable lessons on pride.

joe paterno

Even so, I still there is something we can learn from this disaster, as it relates to Christian business and life in general. I have done some very quick “Google” research on this disaster and I think there are some points about which you may not know.

Details of the Titanic

The Titanic was built by 3,000 workers over a three year period leading up to its maiden voyage in 1912. It was built alongside two near-identical sister ships, the Britannic and the Olympic. At a cost of roughly $7.5 million in 1912 (roughly $400 million to build today), she weighed over 66,000 tons. She was roughly four city blocks long and ten stories tall. It took roughly 3 million rivets to put her together (this was before arc welding).

All in all, it is clear that a lot of time, energy, and money went into the construction of this feat of engineering. Unfortunately, the wonder it created did not last long as it sank on its maiden voyage, less than 5 days after departure. So what is the lesson here? What is the most likely cause of this disaster and how does that apply to us in business or life?

More Titanic Information

Well, what is not as well-known about the Titanic incident concerns its construction. Let me add some facts to the story and then we will analyze the lesson.

When the Titanic was under construction, steel was fairly new as a replacement for iron in constructing ships. Steel was much stronger and therefore preferred as material for the rivets that held the ship together. Unfortunately, due to several factors, there simply were not enough steel rivets available. Therefore, iron rivets were used in the less critical areas of the ship’s hull.

Short-Cut With Materials?

The problem was that the iron they used was not the top quality available. As a result, it contained high concentrations of slag. This slag, when exposed to icy salt water, can make the rivets more brittle and prone to fracture. This problem turned out to be critical when the Titanic hit the iceberg.

Original assumptions about the cause of the sinking caused experts to expect a large gash in the hull of the ship when it was finally discovered. Instead, they found six slits between the bow plates where the rivets had failed to hold. It turns out, when all the facts are considered, that the decision to use sub-par materials is most likely the cause of the loss of over 1,500 lives.

Joe Paterno

Joe PaternoSo what does this have to do with Joe Paterno? Even more important, what does it have to do with us as Christian business owners and leaders?

Joe Paterno was a great coach. There is no arguing that. He left a legacy of excellence that many will aspire to emulate. He turned many boys into men and brought immense success to the Penn State football program. He was an intense coach and deserves full recognition for his success.

Tarnished Career

But when Paterno made the decision, for whatever reason, not to apply the same intensity to the investigation of his assistant coach’s alleged crimes when they came to his attention, he made a critical mistake.

Call it a lapse in judgment. Call it an oversight. It really does not matter what you call it, it was a mistake Paterno wished he could undo. It was a mistake that has now tarnished an otherwise brilliant 62 year career.

Application to Christian Business

When you consider all that we have invested in our businesses – for most it is a huge amount of time, energy, and money. While maybe not Titanic proportions – it is a lot to us.

Yet, even if we are fortunate enough to last for decades and build a business that garners praise and renown for our integrity and adherence to our principles, it only takes one small decision to wreck it. It only takes one rivet of sub-standard quality to sink it.

While we are clearly forgiven when we make mistakes like this, we cannot undo the damage done. It is much like hammering nails into a fence post. You can remove the nails, but the holes remain.

Higher Expectations

God has given us a privilege and a responsibility as Christian business owners and leaders, but to whom much has been given, much is expected. We must be diligent to live up to His expectations. We cannot forget that we not only represent our own names and reputations, but we also represent Him.

I encourage you to remain diligent in your decisions and the way you operate in business. No matter how small the decision appears, do not give into the temptation to take a short-cut or compromise the truth. It is never worth it.

(For additional reading, go to Proverbs 4:10-27)

Have you seen an example like this during your business career?

Have you been tempted in this way and remained strong?

What protection do you have against this type of failure?

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  • http://www.lifeofasteward.com Loren Pinilis

    I didn’t know that about the rivets in the Titanic. That’s interesting.

    All it takes is one mistake, one momentary lapse of judgment. I think of Adam and Eve. One sin and look at all the destruction that has taken place.
    When we label ourselves a Christian business, all eyes are on us. I think of people like Tim Tebow or certain political candidates. Some people out there are almost eager to search for ways that Christians fail. There’s a lot of burden on those in the public eye.

    • http://www.ChristianFaithAtWork.com/ Chris Patton

      You are right, Loren. It is also true that you and I are in the public eye. I cannot speak to details of your particular situation, but regardless of the size of our circle of influence, we all have one! We are all in the public eye to an extent.

      As a result, we can never forget that others are watching. Whether the number of those people is closer to 10 or 100 or 1,000 is irrelevant. We are given the opportunity (and responsibility) to influence them. Fortunately, we are not required to do so only under our own strength!

  • http://www.tnealtarver.wordpress.com TNeal

    While traveling, my family and I listened to an audio book about the Titanic. One thing I remember was the fact the captain had never handled a ship of the Titanic’s size (since it was larger than most ships in that day). The lack of experience and the small window for learning the ship’s peculiarities also added to the disastrous results.

    My wife and I are learning the lesson tonight of taking things slowly and communicating clearly. She’s editing my manuscript and each correction now has an additional expense that it wouldn’t have incurred a month ago. It’s taking longer and costing more because I didn’t give her clear instructions before sending the manuscript to the publisher in late December.

    • http://www.ChristianFaithAtWork.com/ Chris Patton

      That’s interesting about the captain. I did not know that!

      I understand the frustration you are experiencing with your manuscript, but I am excited to see it when you are finished! Make sure you let us all know when we can order a copy!

      • http://www.tnealtarver.wordpress.com TNeal

        I will be glad to let folks know when the book’s out. We who write books hope to find those who read them. ;)

        • http://www.ChristianFaithAtWork.com/ Chris Patton

          As I wrote that, I realized you would not need convincing!

  • Anonymous

    Chris, I can personally testify to someone who had a parallel incident.  Although not at the same level or length of impact as Paterno, yet nonetheless tragically one incident toppled what was a high profile career. What can be shared is that there are three times that we all must be aware of in our lives that can lead us into the valley of the shadow of death: Times when we are exhausted, angry or afraid. The Psalms are full of responses that cover these times in our lives. And no one, no matter how committed and seemingly connected is free from the threat of Satan, and he certainly finds us at our weakest moments when we have allowed ourselves to be susceptible to any combination of the three times in our lives. Our armor must always be up. We must always take time to rest, think before we react, and recognize that fear is a by-product of walking alone. Never, never, never believe you are John Wayne and can handle it all. One stumble at the wrong time before the wrong people can and will topple what was a right career. Good motives are not good enough if the perceived actions appear in conflict of what was right.

    As a quick, and the rest of the story, “nothing catches God by surprise!” Satan cannot do anything outside the will of God. What may be a tragic mistake has the opportunity for God’s glory in the end. God has a way of catching our attention. Just ask the nation of Israel, Samson, King David, Apostle Peter, etc. Joe Paterno was a role model for me, and I pray in the end, people and history will remember ALL the good he accomplished and give him the recognition he deserves. Keep your guard up, rely on God daily to guide and protect you.

    • http://www.ChristianFaithAtWork.com/ Chris Patton

      Very well said, Coach. I especially like the warning regarding the three times we are most vulnerable. Very true.