Don’t Put Off Problem-Solving

As I looked at my friend Al Koehler, we gave each other that “oh boy” look. We were knee-deep in receiving too much unproductive attention.

Koehler and I were Army lieutenants and each of us was responsible for a battery of six howitzers, a type of cannon. We shared the same problems with accuracy for our howitzers. This was critical given that we were firing at targets up to 10 miles away. After eliminating the possibility of human error, we decided to test the alignment of the sight with the bore of the howitzer.

This was an involved process requiring a large hanger, a plum line suspended from the ceiling and great attention to detail. When we tested the alignment, we found that 10 out of 12 howitzers had problems. Little did we know the host of other problems that would come our way that day.

Koehler and I contacted our battery commanders and explained what we found. Shortly thereafter my commander, Captain Nick Perkins, arrived at our location. After asking several questions and evaluating the conduct of the tests, Perkins notified our battalion commander of the test results. From that point on, we had too many high-ranking officers scrutinizing our process.

They examined every minor detail, repeatedly, with little attention focused on the real problem – that the howitzers were out of alignment. During this process, Perkins interjected himself into the discussion, championing the core problem. However, the higher-ups persisted in their efforts to focus on fixing accountability. After watching the discussion go around in circles, Perkins informed me that he would be available by phone and left.

Finally, the problem was identified: the alignment needed to be corrected. While we were packing up to leave, Koehler and I were directed not to test all the howitzers at the same time. Our test results had negative repercussions for readiness evaluation purposes and following such a schedule would minimize the impact of this problem.

Upon returning to the motor park, I informed Perkins of the decision to stagger future tests. He turned his head, sighed and then uttered an expletive in his drawn-out Southern accent. Perkins went on to explain that it was stupid, as it wasn’t solving the problem and conducting the test in this manner would require too much time. He shared that the problem was readily apparent and that too much effort was expended trying to avoid blame.

I learned a valuable lesson that day. When a problem comes up, focus on solving the problem first. Get it working. Then, if holding someone accountable is prudent, do that after the solution is in motion. I also learned that by using this approach, more problems were surfaced sooner.

Our howitzers were aligned properly by the support folks and delivered accurate artillery fire. Perkins retired many years later as a major general. I’m confident he continued to focus on solving the problem first and didn’t shy away from adding emphasis with his Southern accent.