I recently watched Titan: The OceanGate Disaster, a powerful and unsettling documentary that left me thinking about the real-world consequences of toxic leadership.
It’s a film that, beyond its technical storyline, explores something far deeper and far more common:
What happens when arrogance in leadership goes unchecked?
At its core, the documentary isn’t just about a failed deep-sea expedition. It’s a case study in how ego, poor judgment and the refusal to listen can destroy lives. It tells the story of Stockton Rush, the CEO of OceanGate, who led the Titan submersible mission to view the wreck of the Titanic, an expedition that tragically ended with the deaths of all five passengers on board.
But what’s most chilling is that this tragedy wasn’t unpredictable or unavoidable. It was the result of deliberate choices, of ignoring expert advice and of silencing dissent.
David Lochridge, OceanGate’s former Director of Marine Operations, was one of the first to sound the alarm. He raised serious safety concerns about the submersible’s carbon fibre hull, which had visible flaws like porosity and delamination. Instead of being thanked for his vigilance, he was fired. In the documentary, Lochridge’s frustration is palpable: “They had every opportunity to stop this before it got to that point,” he says. “But they didn’t.”
Another former employee, Tony Nissen, recalled how Rush refused to acknowledge the risks even after the Titan was struck by lightning in 2018, damaging the hull. “He wouldn’t give an inch,” Nissen said. When Nissen refused to approve another dive without further testing, he too was dismissed. This wasn’t just a difference in opinion; it was a pattern of punishing those who challenged the CEO’s authority.
Project manager Emily Hammermeister expressed lingering guilt about her time at OceanGate, describing a culture where safety took a back seat to pushing boundaries. “You felt it,” she says in the film. “It wasn’t safe. But if you said that, you weren’t a team player.”
These are not just dramatic quotes, they are echoes of a corporate culture that many people will recognise. The only difference is that in most workplaces, toxic leadership results in burnout or disengagement. In this case, it resulted in five deaths.
As someone who coaches executives and debriefs 360° assessments regularly, I see this dynamic more often than I wish I did.
With our i4 Neuroleader™ Assessment, we can evaluate leaders across a humility-arrogance spectrum. And what’s alarming is how many leaders don’t realise they’re veering into arrogance until they’re confronted with hard feedback from colleagues, reports, mentors or even family.
And that’s the problem with arrogance: it’s self-reinforcing.
When you’re used to being the smartest person in the room, when you’ve had doors open easily for you, or when you’ve avoided real hardship, it’s easy to believe your instincts are infallible. Add a leadership position into the mix and you have the perfect recipe for dangerous blind spots.
Sometimes, arrogance is psychological, rooted in brain patterns that inhibit self-awareness. Other times, it’s cultural, created and sustained by environments where disagreement is punished, and praise is weaponised. Either way, it erodes trust, stifles innovation and, in extreme cases like OceanGate, becomes life-threatening.
If you’re reading this and wondering, “Could this be me?”, first, congratulations. The fact that you’re even asking is a sign of humility.
Here’s what I recommend:
Leading mean does not mean having to be right all the time. It’s about creating conditions where the best ideas can surface, especially when they challenge your own.
Leadership isn’t defined by title, it’s revealed in everyday actions: how we respond to feedback, make decisions, handle conflict and show up in moments of pressure.
Below is a simple framework comparing five common leadership behaviours through two lenses: arrogance and humility. Use it not as a diagnosis, but as a mirror. Where do you tend to land?
The Titan submersible disaster is a sobering reminder that arrogance in leadership is not just a personality flaw, it can be fatal. When leaders expand their vision above basic safety, when they reject feedback and ridicule caution, they don’t just create toxic workplaces, they create deadly environments.
Don’t wait for disaster to become self-aware. Let the voices of people like David Lochridge and Tony Nissen remind you of what’s at stake. The most visionary leaders are those who know when to step back, listen and change course, even if it bruises their ego.
Choose humility. Build a culture where people feel safe speaking up. And remember: no innovation, no matter how bold, is worth a life.
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