Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide

Posted September 20th, 2006

Glynn Daniel, our boss, told Bennie and me to “let our conscience be our guide.” That has stuck with me for thirty years. At the time, however, it had little effect on twenty-year olds who worked hard at pipeline construction and played hard most of the night at personal destruction.

The trouble with the statement, for a twenty-year old, is that my conscience was not well developed. My decisions and behaviors were of little concern to me. Looking back, I think Glynn was probably only in his thirties. Maybe the conscience starts guiding sometime after one gets married and has a child or two. When one feels and assumes responsibility for others, one begins seeking guidance.

There’s a simple risk assessment technique that is usually used in safety practices on the job. I learned it at a risk management course, conducted by DNV, Inc. It can help us check our conscience by asking five questions, before we do a task, take some action, or change something:
1. Why am I doing it at all?
2. What could go wrong?
3. How could it affect me or others?
4. How likely is it to happen?
5. What can I do about it?

Here’s a personal example. After setting up a home office, I was in the office the first few months as a consultant. My previous work had required travel about half the time. My wife was not used to me being home. This required some adjustments for both of us. One day, she said something that upset me.

Before I responded with a sharp retort, I asked myself, “Self, why am I about to say this?” Because I’m upset. “What could go wrong?” Several things can go wrong. “How likely is it to happen?” There’s a high probability. “How could it affect me or others?” It could affect both of us negatively. “What can I do about it?”
Keep my mouth shut. Asking and answering the questions was a good strategy for me. How could they help you?

Perhaps, I’ve learned something about letting my conscience be my guide, even if it took thirty years.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 20th, 2006 at 11:21 am and is filed under Observations, Operational Excellence.