How You Respond to Failure Matters

By Josh Welp, FNF Safety Director

Human Performance Improvement (HPI) is an operating philosophy designed to systematically protect people, property and equipment from human error.  There are five principles associated with HPI.  The focus of this article is on the principle, ‘How you respond to failure matters’.  Sidney Dekker, a professor and thought leader on human error, said it best, “To understand failure…we must first understand our reaction to failure”.  All too often polar opposites take place in many workplace cultures where either nothing is spoken or blame and punishment takes place soon after the failure occurs.  Either way the organization loses because learning and improving does not take place to prevent future similar incidents.

A recent event involving Navy Captain Brett Crozier, the commander of the nuclear powered aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt wholly illustrates how the U.S. Navy took the blame and punishment route during a recent COVID-19 outbreak on the ship.  Captain Crozier graduated from Annapolis and was a 28-year Navy man until he was relieved from his duty on 4/2/20 due to sounding the alarm to his chain of command that his sailors were suffering from a COVID-19 outbreak while anchored in Vietnam.  Captain Crozier was commanded to leave Vietnam and set out for Guam.  As the outbreak continued to worsen, Captain Crozier pleaded for permission to unload his crew.  He said, “Sailors do not need to die.  If we do not act now, we are failing to properly take care of our most trusted asset – our sailors”.  Captain Crozier was not receiving a favorable response form the U.S. Navy so he sent another letter to his chain of command (10 people), but this time, through a non-secure communications channel.  Unfortunately, the San Francisco Chronicle intercepted the letter and publicly published it.  The U.S. Navy brass always preaches readiness and strength so they were agitated because our enemies could have got a hold of this public information, which could have made us vulnerable.  In fact, the Secretary of the Navy, Thomas Modly, was so upset he immediately flew from Washington D.C. to Guam and fired Captain Crozier without a full assessment.  As Captain Crozier walked off the ship for the last time, the entire crew boisterously chanted, Captain Crozier, Captain Crozier…Not only did Secretary Modly end Captain Crozier’s Navy career, he made a scathing speech to the sailors on board the Theodore Roosevelt on 4/5/20.  Secretary Modly said Captain Crozier was either “too naïve or too stupid” to be in charge of an aircraft carrier.  In response to public outrage, Navy Secretary Modly resigned on 4/7/20.  In the end, of the 4,800 crew members aboard the aircraft carrier USS Theodore Roosevelt, 1,273 (27%) sailors contracted COVID-19 (including Captain Crozier) and one died due to COVID-19 complications. 

An argument can be made that Captain Crozier did not follow his chain of command and communicate via a secured communications channel.  However, the U.S. Navy did not appropriately respond to failure, especially during a COVID-19 pandemic.  Belittling and disrespecting a Captain in front of a ship full of sailors is wrong.  Psychological safety, an environment where people feel comfortable speaking up and sharing concerns without embarrassment or retribution, was lost in this event and probably would prevent other future commanders from speaking up.  The lesson learned from this event can be applied to any organization in that our leaders cannot be afraid to hear bad news.  Communicating bad news creates trust and the ability to learn and improve.  In the earlier illustration, U.S. Navy leadership responded poorly and shot (fired) the messenger thus creating a lose/lose outcome.             

Josh Welp, CSP, CHST, CRIS

FNF Safety Manager

Josh joined FNF in 2018, bringing more than 20 years of experience in construction safety.  He holds a Master’s degree in Safety, Health and Environmental Management, is a certified OSHA trainer, and holds a number of professional certifications. 

Josh has both field and program management expertise from his prior positions as a safety professional in the construction industry.  Earlier in his career, he spent 4 years as a Compliance Officer at ADOSH (Arizona Division of Occupational Safety and Health), which adds to his perspective from the compliance side.