Weekly Insight – The buck stops with you

When I was a Maintenance Manager, we had a contract with a drill supplier to hold a spare engine for us. At least, that’s what we thought. We had a premature engine failure and called the OEM expecting a replacement. They didn’t have one! I complained, I pushed back, I pointed to the contract. But no matter how valid my argument was… It didn’t make an engine appear.

In that moment, I had a choice. I could continue blaming the OEM – and to be fair, there was a legitimate case to do so. My boss may have even sympathised. But none of that helped the business produce. That’s when something clicked for me.

Someone has to be fully accountable for the result. And in maintenance, that someone is the Maintenance Manager.

If I had truly taken that mindset earlier, I would have:

• Audited the spares contract properly
• Tested whether it would actually work in practice
• Put contingencies in place
• Or simply made the decision to hold our own spare to reduce our risk

In the end, that’s exactly what we did. Not because the OEM was bad or unable to be trusted. We had to own the result and that meant making a decision. If I had chosen just to let the blame sit with the OEM I would not have changed anything and the same risks would remain. Neither could I have identified other similar risks in the business. Without accepting the responsibility you will not even think to make improvements.

There’s a simple but powerful idea here: Blame might make you feel better, but accepting full accountability enables the business (and you) to get better.

Strong maintenance leaders ask: “What could I have done to prevent this outcome?”

Even when others contributed, even when the contract says it’s not your fault, even when you are technically right, even when we can legitimately blame the old foe operations!.

Because the moment you take full accountability, you regain control and while it may feel bad in the short term, don’t beat yourself up because when you have control you can make decisions that will create improvement.

A question to reflect on this week:

Where are you blaming others… instead of taking full accountability for the outcome?