Grappling with the Gray #115: Under the radar?

Are we engineering our way toward disaster?

That's the question that drives the conversation when Catherine Fitzgerald, Stewart Wiggins, and K Kimi Hirotsu Ziemski join the ethics panel to Grapple with the Gray.

Here is our topic:

The tragic air crash of January 29 over Washington, DC, followed two days later by a second crash over Philadelphia, has left us all feeling both heartbroken and decidedly less safe.

According to the Associated Press, National Transportation Safety Board member Todd Inman expressed frustration that accidents like these occur, noting that the board has made “several hundred” recommendations to improve aviation that have not been acted upon.

Understaffing may have contributed to the disaster. The FAA has long struggled with a shortage of air traffic controllers. Responding to reports that the helicopter was flying 100 feet higher than regulations allow, President Donald Trump declared that diversity initiatives have left air traffic control understaffed and underqualified, thereby compromising air safety.

According to some reports, airlines have indeed lowered standards to meet a pilot shortage. Others argue that the shortage of applicants has nothing to do with DEI. Either way, there does seem to be a looming crisis concerning air travel safety.

And it’s not only pilots. Police, firefighting, healthcare work, and teaching are all facing potential staffing shortages. Reasons include poor pay, unsafe working conditions, and unreasonable demands on the job.

The problem seems obvious, and the potential consequences seem clear. So what are we doing about it? Is it possible that DEI is a contributing factor? Even if it is, is the topic so polarizing that it interferes with our addressing other root causes that won’t be dealt with because of political acrimony?

Meet this week’s panel:

Catherine Fitzgerald is a speaker, writer, certified coach, and founder of BrassTacksWithHeart - Executive Coaching. She works with founders and their leaders as they navigate the choppy waters of aligning people, performance, and profits.

Stewart Wiggins joins us from Paris. He is Chief Advisor at Induna Advisors, working to significantly increase company revenue by developing positive client reports and establishing solid business relationships.

Kimi Hirotsu Ziemski is Founder of KSP Partnership, providing project management and project leadership courses and workshops to improve team dynamics and communications.

#ethics 

#culture 

#accountability 

#leadership