Psalms 30:7 LORD, by thy favour thou hast made my mountain to stand strong: thou didst hide thy face, and I was troubled.
It was big – crisis level
The story started when a couple of emails came in to my manager, giving him instruction to release me to help the organization to pull through an important assignment for one major customer. The organization top management just finished an important meeting with this customer. The customer was seriously unhappy with the non-delivery of one order. As the delivery of this order had failed to meet agreed delivery expectation that was committed and after a few more slips, it was now causing terrible grief to their planned offshore campaign.
It was a disaster
The top management meeting had now agreed on one final committed delivery date, and that is on top of a huge financial penalty for the late/non delivery of the order. Offshore campaigns are planned ahead based on delivery of all necessary equipment and all resources are therefore committed to be available by certain dates. So if there are any delays by one party it will caused all these offshore resources to be on stand-by with high daily expenses incurred for non utilization. Everyone in the organization, especially the top management, was feeling so much heat and pressure from the customer that it has been elevated to crisis level and the whole organization management has to be roped in to help in all ways to solve this problem.
The cause and the reason
The order to be filled is not complex but yet it failed disastrously. The person, a manager, in charge of the job order is a mis-match to the job, having little experience and exposure to such kind of work. Though there is an operating procedures that would have provides him with the proper guidance on all the technical requirements to help him in fulfilling and doing the job, he ignores this procedure and set about getting the work done according to his own understanding.
Words have consequences
Years earlier, before he was promoted to this position, he has once famously says to a more senior and experienced colleague that he can “take over this colleague’s job and easily does what the colleague is doing”. Now the Lord God has showed up, putting him through the test, having ownership of this order. But whichever ways he turned it, he is not able to deliver, epic fail. And now the top management has to step in to deliver on his behalf.
The fix-it guy reputation for such work
It seems surreal that in such a big organization that they do not have or cannot find someone who are able to pull this through.
So I was given such honor to be named as the fix it guy for this assignment.
James 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
Ps 146:5 Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God: 8 The LORD openeth the eyes of the blind: the LORD raiseth them that are bowed down: the LORD loveth the righteous:
In their directors and managers level management meeting, a couple of the directors, whom I have worked with previously before they were promoted, identified me to the team as the “must have” resource to be roped in regardless, to help.
Wearing a different hat now
At that time in the year 2011, I was already in a totally different department and doing a different function, having no more relation with such kind of order activities. In fact I have been asked to relinquish fully the old job role for political reason and inter-department rivalry in the year 2006. So the matter of the fact is that extensive experience, exposure and the necessary skill sets do plays a very important part of the reputation deal. Prior to leaving the old department, I have put in place for the organization an internal operating procedure to provide guidance for all such works.
In the month of February of year 2005, the international codes (19th edition) governing the manufacturing of products by my organization was released.
In this 19th edition, the related annex, Annex J, was withdrawn from being as part of technical requirements that organizations have to complied to. In place an organization internal procedure was needed to ensure technical requirements are being complied to so as to prove the integrity of items as being fit for service.
The works
The order has been accorded urgent and top priority organization-wide. Many of those support function managers were to attend morning toolbox meeting to provide all the necessary resources and support, when required, without fail. Directors were chairing toolbox meeting twice daily and whatever operational meetings. Top management team were also brief on progress status update twice daily with the customer being kept in the loop. Everybody connected with this order now seems busy or appears busy as this is now the big guy’s project.
As I went about providing guidance and direction to the whole team, doing the actual physical verification once more of the complete set of components, making sure that verification were properly recorded/documented. While doing all these, it is now apparent to me that there is contention with me by the whole team on what is considered in accordance to and meeting technical requirements. The team have no idea about the internal operating procedure as it was not being used and there was no international codes governing requirements for such kind of manufacturing activities, or so it seems….
The Mordecai story
In the bible is recorded a story in the book of Esther about a man named Mordecai.
Mordecai had once overheard two palace chamberlains plotting an assassination on the king and passed on the information to Queen Esther and the attempt was thwarted. This act of Mordecai, saving the king’s life was known to the king and recorded in the king’s book of records. Then there was a proud prime minister who wanted Mordecai dead for not bowing to him and he plotted to destroy Mordecai on a particular date. On the night before, God intervene on behalf of Mordecai.
Es 6:1 On that night could not the king sleep, and he commanded to bring the book of records of the chronicles; and they were read before the king.
Es 6:2 And it was found written, that Mordecai had told of Bigthana and Teresh, two of the king’s chamberlains, the keepers of the door, who sought to lay hand on the king Ahasuerus.
Es 6:3 And the king said, What honour and dignity hath been done to Mordecai for this? Then said the king’s servants that ministered unto him, There is nothing done for him.
A miraculous event
Similarly to the Mordecai story, God’s hand and special favor can be seen when something amazing happened.
One evening while thinking about how to explain to the whole team about technical requirements being the main cause that the whole order failed to execute successfully, I was led back to read a copy of the International code to prepare some presentation to management. As I opened the latest edition, I was so surprised to see one major change – that annex J has been inserted back and it means that organization has to complied to all technical requirements in this annex.
With this very crucial information, I was able to present to the team the only reason why they have being going around in circles, why they are not able to execute and deliver, nor ever can.
After this revelation, taking care of the rest of the job is easy and everyone in the organization can be convinced without a doubt on what went wrong all this time leading up to the crisis.
1 Chronicles 16:8 Give thanks unto the LORD, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the people. 9 Sing unto him, sing psalms unto him, talk ye of all his wondrous works. 10 Glory ye in his holy name: let the heart of them rejoice that seek the LORD. 11 Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his face continually. 12 Remember his marvellous works that he hath done, his wonders, and the judgments of his mouth; 13 O ye seed of Israel his servant, ye children of Jacob, his chosen ones.
Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. 