Most everyone has heard or muttered these words at some time or another:
If I Knew Then What I Know Now…
The saying is most often used when we look back at our life and we realize that if I knew then (when I was younger) what I know now (with more experience and wisdom), I may have made some different decisions.
The saying also came to mind recently as we were reminded of the 9year anniversary of September 11th and the 5 year anniversary of Katrina and numerous other incidents that have provided experience and wisdom that we could have used before these events took place.
As I was reflecting on these and numerous other events I started thinking about how so many of the incidents and unwanted results could have been prevented from ever happening had certain people known what others knew….and perhaps how this saying should be updated to:
If I knew now what you know now.
We now know that there were multiple people who noticed red flags or knew about 9-11 before the attack. We now know that multiple people at Virginia Tech and Columbine noticed red flags or knew about these attacks before the attacks we launched. In numerous other incidents, we now know other people besides the aggressor(s) knew about red flags, suspicious actions and misguided plans before the tragic incidents actually occurred.
Unfortunately these other people who noticed red flags or knew about what was coming did not provide their information to people who could have intervened and prevented the incidents and could have saved millions of dollars and saved the lives of many.
How are you getting people to report red flags or suspicious behavior or ethics violations or safety improvements?
Lessons learned clearly show that lack of awareness and not connecting the dots will lead to gaps and disconnects that lead to expensive, embarrassing and tragic incidents.
So if you are responsible or accountable for security, safety, preparedness, compliance, legal due diligence, finances, customers, patients, etc….do you know now what others know now??