Crisis, challenges and difficulties are an inevitable part of life. They are opportunities to learn and grow. What matters is the perspective, to use the challenges as learning opportunities to avoid repeating the mistakes in the future.
All human systems and organisations will face crises, challenges and difficulties. Their ability to overcome them usually rests on the shoulders of many, not one. Hence the reason why corporations train their staff in team building, change management, management and leadership. Robust systems and efficient processes ensure continuity and are often not enough to address crisis moments. Crises require the emergence of a leader who can address the situation by providing the necessary fixes to inspire trust and confidence. A human voice determines how the crisis is addressed and whether the organisation embraces responsibility and learns or develops from the crisis/opportunity.
Leaders in government or business must often fight fires, as opposed to strategic matters. Few people understand the strategic issues but if the fires are not extinguished, they can affect the bigger picture. When a crisis occurs, the public expects a leader to explain, to account or to be held accountable. This is important, as it helps not only in understanding what, how and when things went awry but also where interventions are needed to address material deficiencies. All of these are priceless and necessary to ensuring trust and confidence in the organisation, its systems and its leaders.
The handling of the Paria Fuel diving tragedy, the deaths of premature babies at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital’s NICU (involving the most vulnerable group in the society), breaches of customer data at TSTT, a mystery ship creating ecological disaster in Tobago, and the continuing violent crime, were all opportunities to demonstrate authority, leadership and responsibility. Instead, the public was treated to distance, deflection and denial by those who elected to lead and take responsibility.
Platform rhetoric, probes, investigations, and commissions of enquiry all have a purpose and role. Labelling critics as unpatriotic is as unacceptable as blaming the public and the media for asking questions and seeking answers. If the healthcare system is amongst the best, then its record should speak for itself. The reality is that the State and government officials set standards in law and practice for private entities and the public that they cannot attain in the execution of their duties.
The current cohort of political leaders and those aspiring to lead must understand that the public will only have trust and confidence in the system when the public has confidence in those who lead, manage and represent the organisations. If the public does not have confidence in their ability to give us straight answers with principle and integrity, how can the public have faith in the systems and or organisations they lead? Telling the public that it could have been worse is misleading at best or playing smart with foolishness. It could have been better also!
As the election campaign heats up, the media and the public must be more discerning. If our leaders and managers are falling short, we must ensure that they are held to account, whether they belong to the red or yellow team. The public and taxpayers should not be spending millions to diagnose the same problems instead of preventing their reoccurrence. That is not good management but madness.