Communication story: Importance of upward feedback!

Communication story: Importance of upward feedback!

The British Midland Flight 92, which was a Boeing 737-400 met an accident on January 8, 1989. Shortly after takeoff, a fan blade in the left engine fractured, causing significant vibrations and smoke to enter the cabin. The pilots mistakenly believed the right engine was at fault and shut it down. While shutting the right engine, even left engine power was reduced. This lead to reduction in vibrations of the left engine and hence, when right engine was shut down, crew assumed everything was well. However, many passengers knew that the left engine was one fire, but everyone thought that the crew knows better and they are in control. 

While the crew attempted an emergency landing at East Midlands Airport, they increased the power to the left engine, part of routine protocol, and the aircraft lost power since left engine was already damaged. They attempted to start right engine, but as they were very near the ground there was no sufficient time and the aircraft crashed onto the M1 motorway embankment. Of the 126 people on board, 47 were killed, and 74 sustained serious injuries.

Similarly, if junior team members hesitate to provide feedback to their seniors, the team’s product or service could become a disaster waiting to happen, much like British Midland Flight 92. ZS, even a one-week-old associate would tell me, "Vivek, you’re terrible with Excel formulas. Let me handle it for you 😀". 

“In my current company, juniors feel comfortable enough to openly communicate with me. For instance, one analyst said, ‘Vivek, I can’t join the client call at 8 PM because I need to take my dog for a walk.’”

On a serious note, team members should feel completely free to point out any issues or share their opinions without fear!

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Read past stories like above at https://lnkd.in/dJ3AeZkd