As I was reading the headlines this morning, I stumbled upon an article about the US Navy firing the Commanding Officer of the USS George Washington. This is the aircraft carrier that I embarked on a few months ago. I actually had the privilege of meeting the CO, David C. Dykhoff who was fired today. If you read the article, it talks about a fire on the ship which was due to unauthorized smoking that ignited oil stored inappropriately. It caused me to think about when an organization should replace a key person in leadership over an institutional mistake? In this case, I am sure the CO did not store the oil. He was not the sailor smoking near the oil. But was it the best decision to terminate the leader? I, of course, do not know all the details and the story may involve information not presented, but when does it make sense to set an example? I would love your opinions. Please feel free to email me or comment below, as I would love your thoughts. Was this a little extreme, or did the Navy send the correct message about accountability?
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July 31, 2008
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Without all of the details, it is not possible to make a decision as to whether or not the navy made the right choice regarding the leadership of the aircraft carrier.
However, I truly doubt that the navy would make such a decision on a whim. Perhaps the leadership of the aircraft carrier had become complacent.
It reminds me of the broken window theory that suggests that something as small a a broken window signals a lack of care and attention by the owner. This broken window inturn gives permission to others to commit more serious infractions that can eventually lead to the total demise of a neighborhood.
There may have been many "broken windows" aboard ship that in turn gave crew men the permission to store oil improperly and smoke in an unauthorized area. When these last two broken windows combined, disaster followed.
Posted by: Brenda Richter, CPA | August 01, 2008 at 12:59 PM