The Titan disaster raises uncomfortable questions about leadership, risk and what happens when confidence carries more weight than evidence. For anyone responsible for other people’s safety, the lessons reach well beyond the ocean.

In Episode 12 of The Real Risk, Safety Jon explores Titan through a leadership lens. The focus is on the decisions made at the surface, where priorities are set, concerns are heard or dismissed, and someone decides whether the evidence justifies pressing ahead.

Innovation requires challenging assumptions, but that includes challenging your own. Calling yourself a disruptor does not make physics a stakeholder you can manage with a convincing PowerPoint.

This episode examines questions every leader should be prepared to answer:

• Can people challenge your decisions without paying a personal price?
• How do you distinguish demonstrated safety from confidence that something will work?
• Are previous successful outcomes being treated as proof that the risks are controlled?
• What evidence would make you stop, reconsider or seek independent scrutiny?
• Who has the authority to say “no”, and will that decision actually hold?

Whether you lead a transport operation, a manufacturing business or a small team, these questions belong in everyday decision-making. The real test of leadership is how you respond when the evidence threatens the plan you want to pursue.

Hosted by Jon Hillis, Certified OHS Professional and former WorkSafe Victoria inspector.