Now, its not like I have been in the Navy forever or anything. I have been in barely two years, and am still a neophyte in many ways. I do, however, have a great understanding and appreciation of the infamous "Knee Jerk" reaction.
A possible example from the civilian world might be go as follows. Imagine there was a terrible car accident on a city street somewhere. A typical Navy "Knee Jerk" reaction would be to revoke everyone's licenses, stop funding all road maintenance and construction, shut down all gas stations, and stop production on all automobiles. This is a bit over-the-top, but, at its heart, captures the ludicrousness of it all.
An apt real life example of this happened not too long ago. In our Pilothouse (where we drive the ship), people were eating sunflower seeds. In the process, they were making a mess. In typical "Knee Jerk" response, ALL eating was banned in the Pilothouse. No, they did not ban sunflower seeds, or put more trashcans in the Pilothouse, or just tell people to be more careful, or something sensible like that.
The reaction, at its core, is a well meaning and superficial solution. Ultimately, however, it is poorly thought out and short sighted, and, almost always, leads to more problems. So, why is it so common? And why do intelligent and reasonable people make such flawed decisions?
We are taught, as Officers, its always better to make a decision than to hesitate. Its drilled into us to show confidence and lead without hesitation. This may explain why we can make such bad decisions. It may, also, as a side note, explain why we train so often, since by training we learn from our mistakes and know the correct way to respond to situations.
Mostly, though, I think it stems from Officers and Senior personnel lacking the fortitude to look their superiors in the eyes and tell them how misguided their judgment is. The opposite side to the same coin, is that many Senior Officers are unwilling to accept criticism and change their stubborn minds.
We are taught, as Officers, its always better to make a decision than to hesitate. Its drilled into us to show confidence and lead without hesitation. This may explain why we can make such bad decisions. It may, also, as a side note, explain why we train so often, since by training we learn from our mistakes and know the correct way to respond to situations.
Mostly, though, I think it stems from Officers and Senior personnel lacking the fortitude to look their superiors in the eyes and tell them how misguided their judgment is. The opposite side to the same coin, is that many Senior Officers are unwilling to accept criticism and change their stubborn minds.
Human beings are flawed creatures, who make mistakes. We always make better decisions by committee than we do alone. Its incumbent on us, then, to include others in the decision making process.
I hope, for myself, I never lose that ability to listen to my guys and readily accept their inputs. I know I am no different than my superiors. I am no more intelligent or level headed than they are. I am prone to the same flights of fancy and irrational thinking. I just listen a little better, for now.
"Knee Jerk" reactions are too common and complex a subject to explain in one post. I imagine I will revisit and re-analyze this subject more as this blog starts to shape up. Until then, thanks for reading.
V/r,
Brian
I hope, for myself, I never lose that ability to listen to my guys and readily accept their inputs. I know I am no different than my superiors. I am no more intelligent or level headed than they are. I am prone to the same flights of fancy and irrational thinking. I just listen a little better, for now.
"Knee Jerk" reactions are too common and complex a subject to explain in one post. I imagine I will revisit and re-analyze this subject more as this blog starts to shape up. Until then, thanks for reading.
V/r,
Brian
nice blog bri
ReplyDeletekatie