The strategic meeting was cancelled because JCAHO came along and accord
ing to the Director we barely passed and we did so because the reviewers were very generous with us. She has sent out several different messages both verbally and in writing to the Service Chiefs about how disappointed she was with the results. From what I understand she even had all her CEO office staff wear black the day after for morning report. I did okay, didn't get the invite to see the Director one on one after the inspection which a good thing. But watching the slumped shoulders of my long time brothers and sisters I have done a lot of thinking about it. JCAHO is very easy to pass from a supply point as the only thing they check with us is do we have any expired supplies. We don't have enough room for supplies to have anything expired so no problem. Joint commission primarily looks at environmental care and medical care provided.
So management 101 first step is to look to the past record and compare to the current record. Three years ago when Joint commission came through we did very well. So what may be the possible factors that lead to this poor showing? Uh Senior Leadership has changed and has made wide reaching changes in the way business is done day to day. We seem to have lost our ability to make a decision and when the decision is made it is delayed for an unacceptable amount of time.
So how do you go about explaining to the boss that her management style just may be the problem? Well sports may be a good way to do that as The Walter Payton was her brother in law and her husband is a golf coach. I think I will use a football analogy. So it would go like this.
Ms. Payton: So as you know the results of JCAHO were disappointing to say the least does anyone have an idea as to why?
Me: Too many decisions are being delayed while we study the problem to death. And when we do make a decision it often is based upon the water boy's views versus the running back's position. Let me break it down for you. Now you knew Walter Payton Right?
Ms. Payton: Yes I did, he was my brother in law.
Me: Well let's just imagine Walter's in the huddle and the quarterback says: Walter 46 right on 2. That play means that Walter Payton is going to get the ball and he will be running thru the hole the guard and tackle make for him on the right side of the line. His job of course is to make it thru that hole and run as far as he can make it toward the goal. Keep in mind that once Walter makes it thru the assigned hole, how he gets to the goal is pretty much left to him. After all he is good at this, had 3000 yards rushing last year and won MVP at the Superbowl.
Now can you imagine Walter making it thru the line getting about 8 yards downfield and stopping and calling a time out? He gets back in the huddle and says. I need a little help with this decision. Those are some big ole boys down the field. I don't know for sure if I should go down the middle or to the left or right. We need to set us up a process action team to discuss this with a report back to me thru the Quarterback in a month. But Walter you ain't got a month as there is only 3 minutes left in the game and the ref is about to call a penalty for delay of game. Walter says I don't' care I want to be "sure" I make the right decision. So he asks the guard and tackle. What do you guys think?
So they say Walter we don't know, we are not a running back. Our job is to open up that hole for you to run thru. We are too big and slow to run more than about 6 yards, you are the running back and MVP we trust you to make the best decision of how to handle this situation.
About this time the referee has called a delay of game penalty and is walking off the penalty. Walter says okay it makes it a little harder but I still must be sure, everyone is involved in this decision and is in agreement with what I should do. Walter looks to the side line and see's the water boy and calls him on the field. Walter says you are now the Chair of this process action team, should I run down the center or to the right or left. Water boy says I think you should go to the left. Walter looks at the water boy and says you know it is third down, do you know anything about football? Water boy says not really I just haul the water to the players. Walter turns to his team and says I need a vote on going with the water boy's suggestion as I want him to feel as important as all of you. The team says "what ever Walter let's play ball".
So Walter breaks thru the right side of the defensive line and instead of taking the shortest distance to the goal immediately starts trying to make it to the left side of the
field. He gets there and turns to make his way up the field running down the side line. Now old Walter is world famous for his ability to spin off a tackle or jump over one. Those are the tools of his trade and he uses them better than anyone else. But because he took the water boys suggestion he is running down the side line with little room to maneuver. An opposing player doesn't even attempt a tackle he just pushes Walter out of bounds.So since Walter didn't run down the center his team now has to kick a field goal from the left hash mark about 35 yards out. A field goal from the left is much more difficult than one down the center as we all know and the Bears miss the field goal. They also lose the game.
Now whose fault is this?
Is it the quarterbacks? Yes and No, the quarterback called a good play although he might get some of the blame for letting Walter establish a process action team to decide how he should run once thru the line.
Guard and tackle: No they did their job
Walter's: In my view yes as he and he alone should have made the decision (which by the way was obvious go up the middle) and he failed to make the command decision even thou he was the one with the skill, position, experience and ability to be successful running the ball.
Now I see ya'll shaking your head in agreement but we have not talked about the one person who was just as much a reason for Walter and the Bears failing as they were.
The General Manager: You see after the Bears won the Superbowl last year the Owner of the Team made the mistake of sending the General Manager off to a GM seminar. He/She should have taught the class on team building after all his team had won the Super bowl but another instructor gave the class. The instructor had some very radical ideas. You should not have all these divisions in your team all members should have an equal part in the process of making "every" decision. So no more Offensive Line Coach, Defensive Coach and especially no more Special Teams coach. Not sure about what offensive play to call ask the defensive line what to run. We are all equally important in "every" decision. The instructor always ended with remember even the watherboy is an important part of the decision making process. Sounds good in theory don't it. The water boy is an important member of the team as everyone needs water, but should he decide the play or run the ball?
Summary: Our biggest failure as an organization is not due to our lack of ability but our failure to make a decision be it right or wrong. Your running back should run, you guard should guard. You have got to learn to trust your Service Chiefs ability to solve the problems they are the most skilled at. Greg Eagerton and I don't need 14 people sitting around a table to help us to decide how to re-organize SPD. Remember every delay of game penalty makes it a little harder to accomplish the mission. You state you want us to be honest with you and share our problems but our biggest fear is either that in doing so it is going to slow up the process substantially or what we tell you will come back to bite us in our next evaluation. Fear is not a good motivator and it leads us all to second guessing our next move. Once you start second guessing your forward progress slows down a lot. You also can't hold the individual responsible when everyone made the decision.
Art Nalley
Redneck Hertiage Network
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