Kam Raslan’s Talking Edge

(Reprinted from The Edge – Options pullout, 24 March 2014 issue)

Dear Kam,
MH370 is still missing but already I’m wondering if there are any lessons we can learn from this disaster?
Major Tom

At the time of writing, MH370 has still not been found. I hope that it will be found soon for the sake of the relatives of all the passengers and crew. I hope it will be found soon so that we will be able to learn the truth, the absolute truth of what happened.

The MH370 disaster has made one thing abundantly clear — every organisation should work out its emergency response procedures. Depending on the nature of your work, there is probably a statistical certainty that your organisation will eventually face some kind of emergency. You don’t want to find yourself having to make it up as you go along while in the middle of an unfolding crisis. And it’s not enough just to have your emergency response worked out on paper — it must be rehearsed. Realistic rehearsals of a disaster scenario will help to discover any knowledge gaps, will let you know which other agencies need to be contacted, will make disaster responses second nature (which reduces fear and panic) and will give you an insight into the calibre of your people and the shortcomings of your corporate culture. If your people are unquestioning and too afraid to think for themselves, then you’re going to have a bad time. And if you are the boss, don’t think that you are immune from being found out as an incompetent fool. Just because you are a boss it doesn’t mean that you’re clever. If you have what it takes to work your way up to the top of a corrupt, inefficient, protected and self-serving system, then you will probably be the biggest idiot around.

When disaster strikes, the initial reaction of most organisations is to close ranks, deny everything and hope that it will all just go away. Unfortunately, a major disaster exposes the organisation to public scrutiny. A disaster puts the brand in long-term danger, so the initial response needs to be seen to be honest and competent. This will serve you well in the future when rebuilding your brand. It might seem obvious that you don’t want to publicly admit your organisation’s failures but investigations will eventually discover blame anyway, so you might as well be the one to admit to it. Customers like honesty and they hate perceived cover-ups.

A crisis will discover people’s true worth, and many will be found to be lacking. Don’t be afraid to fire people and to keep firing people until you find the right stuff. In August 1914, at the start of the First World War, the French army was in disarray and in constant retreat in the face of the German onslaught. Several senior officers were calling for surrender and the head of the French army, General Joffre, responded by sacking scores of them without worrying about reputations. The French army held its line and eventually counter-attacked. This all happened right in the middle of an extreme crisis but Joffre needed to find the right people, fast. The analogy is imperfect because a civil disaster is not a war and there is no enemy, unless you count nature or cyber warfare or your own incompetence. If the problem is you, then resign. The organisation must have people who can think clearly, think fast, can ask the right questions to get honest responses and is not in some way culpable. Basically, you need somebody smart and that might not be you.

Who are the right people? I recently read something in Theweek.com (I’d never heard of this publication before either) about the German General Kurt von Hammerstein-Equord’s views on four different types of officers. General Hammerstein-Equord was the head of the German army in the 1930s and an opponent of Hitler. Apparently, he said there were four types of officers: stupid and lazy, stupid and energetic, intelligent and energetic, and intelligent and lazy.

Stupid and lazy made up 90% of officers and they could be trusted with small achievable tasks. Intelligent and energetic are very useful, they are safe, reliable and rule-following. The general thought that intelligent and lazy officers were the best for independent high command, “because he possesses the intellectual clarity and the composure necessary for difficult decisions”. Theweek.com expands, “They delegate and trust people to do their jobs. They don’t micromanage; they question. They avoid unproductive things (think meetings, paper shuffling, busy work). They don’t seek consensus because often that means more work, not less. They focus on a few key priorities.” The general believed that stupid and energetic officers were “nothing but mischief” and must be removed immediately. It has to be said that although the German army was brilliant tactically and operationally, it was absolutely awful in its strategic “big picture” thinking. Also, this has been a lot of talk about men in leadership but Margaret Thatcher did very well during the Falklands War.

Disaster can strike at any moment and your organisation must be prepared. Sadly for some organisations, disaster is a rolling, ongoing norm. Sometimes when an organisation is up and running, it becomes peopled by staff and management who are just watching the clock, picking up their cheques and overseeing its steady degradation into nothingness. For far too many, that sounds like the perfect place to work. Prepare for disaster. It could make everyone sharper, give people individual responsibility, and it could help save lives and your brand. But whatever you do, don’t give any responsibility to the stupid and energetic, even if that’s you.

Dear Kam,
Is it my imagination or have there been subtle changes in the way MH370 news briefings have been delivered?
The Reader

There has been one improvement in the way the news conferences have been delivered. If we ignore the, er, quality and quantity of the actual content and look at it purely as style of delivery, then there has been at least one improvement. They are standing up. Standing up helps give the impression of urgency, respect and even contrition. There is absolutely no shame in showing some humility.

Thankfully, they have removed those ridiculous velvet-covered high-backed chairs from which hundreds of Malaysian VVIPs have drawled their arrogance over the years. They should take the opportunity to gather all those chairs and donate them to some deserving kampung.

Reprinted with the kind permission of