The TV Series "The Days" should be your new Management Class Material

Disclaimer: I am neither a film/TV critic, nor a Netflix agent; this article is based on the portrayal of characters and the impact of their choices towards handling an escalating crisis.

The TV show "The Days" that was released around May 2023 on Netflix, literally shook me, as it was a clear and blatant showcase on how bad choices, poor communication, organizational siloes and lack of leadership may have devastating effects on a high-stakes establishment, amidst a crisis.

In an attempt to spoil your experience as less as possible, one of the spectacular aspects of this show was the emphasis given on the human capital involved in this (ultimately) global tragedy. In my eyes, the director went above and beyond to paint the characters with their specific colours. From the prime minister, to the Nuclear Safety Committee members, to the plant manager and the plant workers, everyone reacted and contributed positively or negatively to the situation post earthquake and tsunami.

One of the biggest takeaways of the show focuses how people react when things go south, especially on situations that are outside of our "envelope" and thresholds of management and how we actually deal with responsibility. On the latter, let's also take into account that the situation happened in Japan, where efficiency, and responsibility belong to people's core values. Still, disaster ensued and the higher the management level, the higher the stakes, the bigger the mess. Amongst these people, some had to make terrible choices that they never fathomed making and they still persisted to provide and cater for their team and their people.

You will also understand, at a certain turn of events, that despite the dire situation the power plan was in, if communication was streamlined transparently, with a concise flow (targeted / non-gated), the decision-making process would have been different despite the ethical standpoint of each of the stakeholders, certain truths would have surfaced in time and decisions would have flowed towards a different direction.

The cost of waiting highlighted itself as an important factor. On one specific occasion, this cost of waiting could have resulted in a redrawn map of Japan if certain decisions were not made, even before obtaining permission to commit to them. And before you make up your mind about the certain character, in the face of clear and present danger, would you act differently? Did that act qualify as insolence? - Not in my book. The common denominator of some choices is to avoid harm, especially when you are out of viable options and when you have an firm grasp of reality and the events unfolding in front of you.

One common misconception, is that the earthquake and the tsunami practically sealed the fate of the powerplant. The viewer will realize that these were merely the triggering events for the disaster; the events that followed, had a larger impact than any tsunami could.

Furthermore, Sun Zu from China, states in the famous Art of War that "Tactics without strategy is the noise before defeat", which becomes transparent quite early on the show. Despite, SOPs, documents, procedures and regulations, it is within each and everyone of us to have established a set of core values to enable us to contribute towards success or failure. Conversely, tossing the blame around, procrastinating to avoid the inevitable while being barricaded by walls of text (albeit without context) is a recipe for disaster.

Ultimately, "The Days" as a series, could serve as a significant learning material milestone and a spark of conversation for those who are about to take on a journey of leadership, management and transformation.

Quoting Epictetus:

Those who walk the path of ignorance, blame others.

Those who walk the path of knowledge, blame themselves.

Those who walk the path of wisdom, blame neither.

Keep an open mind, iterate and execute.-