The Price Of Complacency
The Gulf oil crisis is affecting us all, and I wanted to share how this unfortunate event has consequences that can potentially alter how we all do business.
This and other similar major events smaller in magnitude are apart of our every day lives and work environment. BP shouldn't be demonized nor should they be defended; they should and will be held accountable on many levels for this horrendous disaster. But let’s look at really what happened.
When the events are looked at closely, it was revealed that clearly there was negligence and conflicting oversight by federal and internal safety departments. This is coupled with individuals ignoring over two dozen alerts and warnings that were put in place to insure that equipment was reliable. They were all ignored or bypassed. This is clearly human error. I hear people wanting to ban deep water drilling and some want to abolish drilling all together. As a person who is extremely concerned about the environment, I would love have these options as a possibility but we all know that is just not economically possible or viable by any means.
So what do we do?
When we go to our daily work, look at everything on your plate. Take nothing for granted, do not overlook or accept any flaws in your business operation. Yes, as absurd as it may seem, try to achieve perfection while incorporating efficiency.
Yesterday at ASI's staff meeting, I made it mandatory for each person to have in mind and communicate one area within ASI's systems that needs improving. No doubt I was met with opposition, but we all agreed that all of their work affects 10,000's of people. For instance, if our payroll process is not 100% correct under the 1,000's of payroll conditions possible, that has a negative effect on the client as well as the employee that views the payroll voucher and relies on it for accuracy. We thoroughly discussed each area of our systems AP, AR, GL etc, regarding accounting accuracy, scalability and performance; and how critical their work trickles to 1,000's of lives. I expect everyone to strive for perfection, the cost of not doing so is far greater than taking the time to think, care & act. I truly believe that if everyone from the CEO to the night custodian took nothing for granted, there would be a trickle down effect and obvious imperfections would not be overlooked. "Lead By Example" - culture throughout your department, then organization, then the overall economy.
For the most part we are a society of immediate gratification without looking 2 feet in front of us. We tend to go from one extreme to another without considering a center sweet spot that will put us in the path of operational utopia. In the past year, I have come across several incidences where senior executives outright shared with me that they are aware that current process it is not the right way but just do not care. This was more apparent in Health Care related firms, that really hits us all close to home. In some cases where ASI is completely transparent and not dishing out a colorful sales pitch with all the fluff, decision makers outright prefer the fluff while completely disregarding the facts. That breaks my heart especially with all the people that rely on them.
I am not saying we should all be obsessed uptight individuals seeking and chasing every flaw in our operations. But when something is clear and has a compounding effect, why not do something to make it better? I find it much easier doing a little more initial diligent effort, than working in crisis mode, chasing fires and over extending resources to get through the week or month. I see this too often, and really think we can make a change within ourselves and those around us, and possibly before you know it disasters whether like the one in the gulf or the economic disaster of 2008 where by everyone taking the economy for granted may just not happen and just over extending themselves.
I hope this is taken in the positive manner it is meant, there are over 4,600 people on ASI’s monthly newsletter whom I highly respect Maybe you may decide to forward this to your colleges or friends, just as a friendly reminder or to let them know your thoughts. Even if you disagree, that is fine, I am open to hear where I may be wrong or overextended.
http://www.argenttosystems.com/newsletters/PriceOfComplacency.htm
Above, a brown pelican is seen at East Grand Terre
Island along the Louisiana coast.
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