You're Gonna Need a Bigger Boat: A Risk Analysis of the Leadership Team in "Jaws"
In the summer of 1975, a Great White shark terrorized the community of Amity Island, forcing Police Chief Martin Brody to famously conclude, "You're gonna need a bigger boat." That line became an emblem of being dangerously underequipped for a known threat. For today's credit union leaders, the "shark" is a confluence of relentless risks: market volatility, disruptive technology, and the ever-present potential for catastrophic human error.
While organizations build bigger boats—fortifying balance sheets and compliance frameworks—they often fail to account for the most dangerous predator: the "human factor." Major risk failures, from the 2008 banking crisis to the sinking of the Titanic, are primarily attributable to the invisible currents of personality and disposition that steer leadership teams toward peril.
This analysis uses a sophisticated navigational tool, the Risk Type Compass™, to chart these murky waters. To demonstrate its power, we will conduct a detailed case study of the leadership team assembled aboard the fishing boat Orca in the film Jaws. Their catastrophic failure is a direct result of clashing, unmanaged risk personalities—a cautionary tale for any boardroom.
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The Two Axes of Risk Personality
Risk disposition isn't a simple line from "risk-averse" to "risk-seeking." The Risk Type Compass™ provides a more accurate map by assessing two independent dimensions of personality: the emotional and the cognitive.
The Emotional vs. Calm Scale (The "Fear" Axis)
This scale measures one's innate emotional reaction to threat and uncertainty.
Emotional: Individuals are apprehensive, anxious, and pessimistic. They are highly alert to potential threats.
Calm: Individuals are resilient, confident, and optimistic. They remain level-headed in situations that would rattle others.
The Daring vs. Measured Scale (The "Impulsivity" Axis)
This scale measures one's cognitive approach, from a need for structure and planning to an appetite for spontaneity.
Daring: Individuals are impulsive, unconventional, and excitement-seeking. They are comfortable with ambiguity and dislike routine.
Measured: Individuals are cautious, planful, and systematic. They prefer to operate within established guidelines and plan ahead carefully.
The power of this model is its ability to deconstruct why a leader behaves a certain way. For example, a board needs to know if its "cautious" CFO is Prudent (needing a data-driven plan) or Wary (driven by anxiety that can lead to paralysis). This is the core value of the RTC.
A Risk Type Analysis of the Jaws Leadership Team
The team assembled aboard the Orca is a masterclass in high-stakes team dynamics. Using the Risk Type Compass™, we can dissect their ingrained personalities to see what lessons their ill-fated voyage holds.
Chief Martin Brody: The WARY Hero
Brody is the quintessential Wary type, defined by high Emotionality and high Measuredness. His profound fear of water fuels his anxious, protective concern for Amity. Simultaneously, his respect for rules and process is evident in his by-the-book approach to closing beaches and seeking official permission. His heroism comes from the immense effort it takes to overcome his innate anxiety to do what's right.
Matt Hooper: The ADVENTUROUS Scientist
Oceanographer Matt Hooper is a classic Adventurous type, blending the fearlessness of high Calm with the novelty-seeking of high Daring. His calmness is rooted in his deep scientific knowledge and intellectual confidence. He is a man of data and rationality. His daring is intellectual—a drive to test boundaries with new technology, epitomized by his anti-shark cage.
Captain Quint: The EXCITABLE Hunter
Quint is a powerful and tragic example of the Excitable type, a volatile combination of high Daring and high Emotionality. His daring is obvious in his reckless, impulsive pursuit of the shark. But this bravado is fueled by a deep, trauma-based obsession stemming from his experience on the USS Indianapolis. Excitable types react strongly to disappointment, which explains Quint's dangerously unpredictable behavior, leading him to reject help and destroy his own equipment in fits of pride.
Lessons for the Credit Union Boardroom
The failure of the Orca's mission was a predictable outcome of the clash between these unmanaged Risk Types. Their voyage is a microcosm of a dysfunctional board meeting at sea.
Wary (Brody): The Chief Risk Officer or Head of Compliance. His valuable caution becomes ineffective because he is intimidated by a more dominant personality, making his calls for help (a bigger boat) too little, too late.
Adventurous (Hooper): The Head of Innovation or Strategy. He brings data and novel solutions to the table, but his data-driven approach is dismissed by experience-based leaders who favor gut instinct.
Excitable (Quint): The charismatic, "gut-feel" CEO or founder who believes they are infallible. Their emotional decision-making leads them to reject data (Hooper's science) and ignore procedure (Brody's calls for help) that conflict with their ego. Quint's destruction of the radio is the ultimate act of a leader silencing dissent.
The key question for any board is not "Who has the best idea?" but "Which strategic approach—cautious, innovative, or aggressive—is most appropriate for this specific situation, regardless of whose personality is championing it?"
Actionable Recommendations for Your Board
The central lesson from Amity Island is that a leadership team's Risk Type composition is a strategic asset—or liability—that is almost always invisible and unmanaged. The goal is not a team of one "correct" type, but a balanced portfolio. The path forward involves making the invisible visible.
Know Thyself and Thy Team: Employ a validated tool like the Risk Type Compass™ to move from subjective impressions to objective data, creating a common language for discussing risk.
Audit for Balance: Once your team's profile is understood, evaluate it. Is the board heavily weighted toward caution, stifling growth? Or is it weighted toward daring, creating uncompensated risk?
Stress-Test Your Dynamics: Use this case study as a catalyst for a frank discussion. In a crisis, who on your team would be Brody, Hooper, and Quint? Whose voice would be amplified, and whose would be silenced?
You cannot always choose the risks you will face, but you can choose the team with which you face them. Understanding the risk personalities on that team is a core component of strategic leadership.
Our consulting work in governance and leadership development includes facilitating Risk Type Compass assessments. To discover your team's risk profile, schedule a private consultation.
