Buck Stops Here, So No Firings

The Christmas day attempted airplane bombing in Detroit received a swift investigation. As we all know now, intelligence dots weren’t connected by various agencies in rather significant ways. Though President Obama was quite upset and has taken action to prevent these mistakes in the future, he stopped short of firing anyone, saying that the buck stops with him.

Similarly, investigations into the Fort Hood massacre have concluded that a pretty miserable job was done by Major Nidal Hasan’s supervisors. If they had been more vigilant in evaluating or acting upon the evaluations already made, Hasan may well have been stopped from killing 13 people and wounding dozens more. While a few folks may be disciplined or written up, it doesn’t appear that anyone will be fired. (Click here and here.)

What does it take to get fired? I’ve been clear on this blog that a firing shouldn’t occur in a haphazard manner, that a job shouldn’t be taken from an employee without a very good reason, and that fairness to an employee should be the primary consideration before a firing occurs.

A version of 9/11 comes within a hair of being repeated on the runway of the Detroit airport. Military personnel are murdered at Fort Hood by an incompetent, unstable Army officer. Swift, thorough investigations follow. But no one is held responsible enough to lose his or her job.

I detest scapegoating, which is often what happens in the private and government sectors when something goes wrong. It’s almost as bad as letting someone get away with murder or attempted murder, not practicing real accountability, and making sure that those responsible don’t ever make that mistake again. That’s done by firing them.

Employers miss chances to set difficult, but good, examples. The buck stops with those willing to set those examples.