In 1861, as US President James Garfield was preparing to board a train, he was shot twice. He was a highly popular man, even though he had only been in office for six months. Apparently, the President had refused to appoint the assailant to a political position because he lacked the requisite qualifications, despite being an active member of the party (here, as is widely known, the lack of qualifications among 'the boys' is not deemed an impediment to political appointments). This act of revenge manifested as two bullets: one grazed James' arm without causing any significant damage, whilst the other penetrated his back, lodging somewhere in his abdomen.
The foremost doctors and intellects in the country were summoned to assist the President. It may not be widely known, but the first air conditioning unit was devised on this occasion to cool Garfield's room – they succeeded in reducing the heat by 11 degrees, albeit at a considerable cost. However, the paramount challenge they faced was pinpointing the precise location of the bullet within the President's body, enabling its extraction without causing further harm. One of the era's greatest geniuses, Alexander Graham Bell, at the zenith of his popularity, believed he possessed the solution: during the invention of the telephone, he had developed a metal detector capable of identifying the bullet.
When Bell brought the device close to the President, the alarm sounded immediately. The issue was that the device continued to emit a signal as it was moved around the patient's body, as if his entire body contained metal. It proved to be a failure.
It took Bell several weeks to ascertain the reason for his failure: the device had detected the metal springs within the mattress upon which the President was lying. Regrettably, it was too late to save James Garfield, who succumbed as a result of doctors probing for the bullet. A failure to question assumptions had tragic consequences.
Over years of working with companies, I have observed many brilliant individuals utilising metal detectors on spring mattresses.
Undertaking tasks merely because they have always been performed in a particular manner, or employing bespoke solutions simply because they are 'ours' rather than optimal. Particularly if a company's overall results are favourable, there is a tendency not to scrutinise existing processes. Positive outcomes almost inevitably foster a degree of complacency, even if it is occasionally well disguised. Continuously challenging assumptions is fundamental to achieving success and, more arduously, to sustaining it.
Peter Drucker, one of the pre-eminent management gurus, famously stated he was remunerated to pose incisive questions. Indeed, there is no dearth of questions to address: concerning the industry, the organisation, its culture, cost structures, customer acquisition, sales strategies, and revenue collection. What is predominantly lacking is the courage, both individually and collectively, to pose questions that may fundamentally challenge our established ways of thinking.
In these turbulent times, organisations will require considerably more than two attempts to secure their viability. How many will ultimately survive by pursuing inherently flawed strategies?
