Management Excellence by Art Petty

As allegations surface (bad pun) that there was ample evidence of the failure of a critical gasket and a fail-safe system on the Deep Water Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico, it appears as if decisions were made to ignore the potential for disaster in the pursuit of speed and money.  What a shock!

Even as chunks of this all important seal rose to the surface, the decision was made to proceed. Compounding the situation, it is now alleged that a power play over a critical shut-down procedure between BP and the contractor, was resolved in favor of BP’s faster, cheaper…and significantly less-safe procedure. 11 people died and the damage to the ecosystem is as of yet, incalculable.

Time-shift to days before Columbia was given the OK to attempt the return to earth.  A NASA engineer strong believed that other governmental assets should be brought to bear to evaluate up close the areas of concern on the orbiter.  There was no political support for this added expense and delay and the simulation models that predicted disaster were discounted due to age.  The engineer crafted but never sent a powerful memo making the case for the potential for disaster.  7 people died as the orbiter disintegrated upon re-entry.

Time-shift again to the pre-launch decision of Challenger.  After putting up a good fight, the engineers at the contractor were effectively silenced by executives who put business, image and politics at the top of the priority list. When asked by NASA on a conference call if anyone had any final objections, the engineers sat silently at the table with their mouths metaphorically locked shut by the political and career pressures imposed by their leaders.  Challenger blew up early after lift-off, killing all aboard.

Should I keep going?

These decisions are easy to single out because of their horrendous outcomes and the level of scrutiny that they receive in public and legal settings. The NASA cases are studied in detail in business schools and of course inside NASA.  The Gulf disaster is still unfolding, but the early allegations point to money, greed, time and risk-taking with no concern for human life or the environment.  The decisions all represented movement away from goodness.

Think about your own professional experiences observing key decisions being made and rationalized, when everyone knew that politics, power and other equally improper criteria were the drivers. In my case, I recall sitting in a meeting as a young, fresh out of school professional and listening as a vice-president attempted to rationalize a strategy option that guaranteed failure.  No one in the room spoke up.

For the want of a nail, the kingdom was lost.

Are You Capable of Putting it All on the Line?

I’ve had the occasion at least twice to put it on the line in win or go home situations since sitting by listening as the firm committed market suicide.  Truthfully, I would rather dig a ditch than compromise core principles and values or even enter the arena of potentially endangering a person or the environment. Fortunately, the only ditches I’ve had to dig so far are for spring planting in our garden.

The experience of standing up when all feel incredible pressure to remain seated is frightening, stomach churning and remarkably liberating all at the same time. There’s safety in remaining seated and in not speaking up, but silence in my opinion is agreement or at least acceptance.  You are now responsible, along with those making the decision and everyone else sitting there silently let it happen.

Keep in mind I’m not talking about executing this short-term career-risking maneuver for anything less than the most critical of issues. Your career isn’t worth a budget or a product feature or a resource squabble. Those disagreements are part of the normal process of working together, and developing effective negotiating skills and learning to give and take are what we do to help propel movement inside organizations.  Putting it on the line is however worth it when the conflict involves a legal issue, or, any issues that potentially impact life or environmental safety.

The Bottom-Line for Now:

Moral courage comes from deep inside, and once summoned is a powerful force for change.  Most of us walk through our daily lives rationalizing the dumb decisions and stupidity perpetrated in our firms and on our teams, by concluding that there’s nothing that we can do. After all, “Who is John Galt?”

Acceptance, denial, and worse yet, looking the other way or failing to ring every possible alarm bell out of fear is abhorrent.  It’s human, but it is abhorrent.

As a leader, recognize the very real potential for bad and fatal decisions to be made in the name of short-term greed, warped compensation incentives, political pressures, strong-arm tactics and genuine fear, and create circuit breakers and systems that create rip-cords and “all stops,” and then reward people that have the moral courage to pull the cord.

Be prepared to be that person that pulls the cord if you have to.

It’s time for all of us to build courage into our roles as leaders and to teach and reward courage on our teams.