Monkeys are out there........Challenge your risk perception
Harish Devakumar
Operations & Manufacturing| Expertise -TPM, TPS, Lean | Ex Tata Motors | Ex Tata Business Excellence group ( Tata Sons) | Visionary Leaders for Manufacturing (VLFM, CII) & IIM C Alumni
In the year 2012, I was working in Ahmedabad. Me, along with my famiIy (wife and 4 year old daughter) used to stay in a 2 BHK Apartments. That particular day, I was on official duty to Mumbai. My wife was making Panipuris in the kitchen, when two huge monkeys stepped in through our balcony. The balcony was in between the kitchen and main hall, wherin my daughter was watching television.
My wife trembling with fear of possibilities that can unfold, stood still looking at our daughter, who continued watching her favorite cartoon, unaware of the situation unfolding.
After few seconds, the two monkeys entered the other room, connecting the kitchen and Hall. Seizing this moment, my wife ran, picked up my daughter and started calling for help, which arrived in the form of neighbors.
Two days later, I came back home to face the wrath of my wife. “I have been telling you! The monkeys are out there! Why don’t you fence the balcony?” I was always aware of the monkeys moving around my society, but I never thought it would step in and endanger my daughter’s life.
Often, we keep hearing our team members, employees sharing safety hazards (unsafe acts and conditions). But, we may sometimes, choose to ignore such voices, with an assumption that accident cannot happen (risk perception). As leaders, to provide safe work place, we must keep challenging our risk perceptions and take actions to reduce unsafe acts and conditions.
The story does not end here. That weekend, I met with my friendly neighbor, who helped my wife to chase out the monkeys.
He told me ‘Harish! You know we tried very hard to chase the monkeys out. We shouted, showed big sticks but they were not moving.
You know, after a while, they tasted the panipuris your wife was making. Immediately, they stepped out’
He said all these, looking at with a big smile.
Operations & Manufacturing| Expertise -TPM, TPS, Lean | Ex Tata Motors | Ex Tata Business Excellence group ( Tata Sons) | Visionary Leaders for Manufacturing (VLFM, CII) & IIM C Alumni
4 年Dipan Vaishnav thank you for your kind words
Executive Coach | EI Master Coach Practitioner & Trainer | NLP Coach & Practitioner | Fractional CHRO | People Experience Design | Impacted over 100,000 individuals achieve the growth they truly desire.
4 年Super!! Beautifully written Harish. I like your storytelling and the monkeys' analogy. My compliments to you. And, yes, so true that we tend to assume that accidents "cannot happen with me". Best Wishes.
Business Excellence and Continuous improvement enthusiast, practitioner of lean and six sigma, TQM and TPM deployment expert, Change Management specialist!
4 年I really loved the way U narrated the story! My take away is all alarts of potential hazards must be considered very seriously! ... I would like to add one point which I am practicing as a father. I have used the KAIKEN YOCHI technique to teach my child about potential hazard from electrical plug points. I have shown him (my son), all the electrcal plug points... spoken to him regarding the potential hazard of shock and then we togather closed all the electrcal plugpoints (which are within my son's reach) with tape. Now he knows that these tapes must not be removed. Your story is quite relevant and though provoking. Thanks a lot for sharing.
Deputy Production Manager at Hero MotoCorp
4 年Panipuri ??
Operations & Manufacturing| Expertise -TPM, TPS, Lean | Ex Tata Motors | Ex Tata Business Excellence group ( Tata Sons) | Visionary Leaders for Manufacturing (VLFM, CII) & IIM C Alumni
4 年https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/monkeys-out-therechallenge-your-risk-perception-harish-devakumar/?published=t