In 30 seconds
Focusing solely on short-term results like Boeing did, prioritising profits over safety, led to disastrous quality issues and accidents. This highlights a broader problem: prioritising sales figures over people’s well-being can erode trust and damage reputation in any industry, not just aviation. The same happens when organisations drive sales teams solely based on numbers, quantity, and financial outcomes. While it can lead to the desired short-term results, it puts the business at risk in the long-term: Erosion of quality, safety, reliability, trust, and reputation.
In 1.5 minutes
We frequently talk here about the risks of focusing on short-term results. Well, here is a tale to illustrate the point.
Over the past years reduced quality control has affected Boeing’s production processes, leading to several catastrophic accidents. As an ongoing issue, these quality control lapses keep causing delivery delays, increased costs for rework and repairs as well as damage to Boeing’s reputation for safety and reliability. Consequently, these issues have contributed to the company’s current predicament.
US Federal Aviation Administration chief Michael Whitaker recently summarised this in an interview: “Their priorities have been on production, and not on safety and quality.” [1]
The root of these issues though, is in the shift to prioritise profit over safety, a focus on short-term gains and stock prices, and away from people and their wellbeing to numbers and money. Furthermore, ineffective procedures and a breakdown in communications between senior management and other members of staff added to the issue. [2]
This disconnect between the purpose of a business and the people involved -be it staff or customers- leads to catastrophic events in the aviation industry. But here’s the rub: this isn’t just a problem of the aviation industry.
We observe similar issues when organisations drive sales teams solely based on numbers, quantity, and financial outcomes. While it can lead to the desired short-term results, it puts any business at the same risk as Boeing long-term: Erosion of quality, safety, reliability, trust, and reputation.
Boeing is a cautionary tale, writ large, and a wake-up call to business and sales leaders: focusing on people and quality isn’t just for industries where mistakes mean disaster. It’s the only way for any business to take flight and stay airborne.
Remember, everybody lives by selling something.
[1] https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-03-19/boeing-needs-more-focus-on-safety-and-quality-faa-chief-says
[2] https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-02-26/boeing-safety-culture-found-inadequate-confusing-by-faa-panel
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