The 70 days that the Chilean miners got stuck in that rat hole provides us valuable management lessons for today’s corporate world entangled by similar 'stuck in a hole' situation. Right from the very word 'go' the miners and the leaders tasked to get them out of the hole made very purposeful decisions.
Securing the Leadership
On one hand the Chilean president was on the ground - he made it a point to be there at all times in the 70 days to drive the government machinery, provide the leadership to drive home support & confidence, and above all to mobilise his good offices to secure the best talent available in the industry to get the planning and the rescue started. By his presence he ensured that all the necessary support required to the crisis through was discharged with minimal slack in the process.
On the other end, the miners themselves elected their most experienced and cool headed man as their leader to plan and set the direction and operational practices for the forceable future. It was total confidence displayed on that one single person. The quality that this leader brought to the table was his acute understanding of the landscape, the connection that he had with his team, and a clarity of mind in such trying circumstances.
Assessing the ground situation - what went wrong and how?
The first 14 days nobody in the organization (miners or the stakeholders) knew why it had happened, how it had happened, what was the damage, and how weak was the foundation. I believe an accurate assessment of the ground situation was fundamental to deriving the right solutions because as the old adage goes 'one can solve problems but not vapourware'.
Both the miners and the stakeholders at the top tried to understand the ground situation using a variety of mechanisms. They concluded that the mine was old and deep. It had cracked in the middle and had given way however determined that the rock that surrounded the shaft was stable enough and that further erosion may not occur. They did a detour of all assets on the ground - found that they had spare vehicles, battery, some left over food, some water, some fuel, and a makeshift resting area.
The stakeholders on the top tried to ***** the 'leverage' they had at their disposal. Capital was scarce. The expertise to turnaround was just all over the place. The leadership @ the mining company had lost all its credibility. The rescue team, code red, as you call it had to find the leadership, the capital, and the force to mobilise the machinery.
Bottom-line was that the miners and the stakeholders had complete clarity of the operational situation and the exact techniques required to turn-around and the team that must be made available to get the job done.
Rationing scarce working capital and govern by an Iron discipline
One of the first tasks before the leader of the 33 miners was to ***** the working capital and how to use them most efficiently such that they survive the ordeal as a team. Extreme diligence and stringent working practices were introduced. consumption was reduced to the barest of bare minimum. Daily rigours was adhered to without exception. Everyone of the miners went through their chores as if it was just another day in the mine. They worked in shifts, They leapt at proper times. They played and relaxed. They ate at proper times. They joked and soon they became obsessed - obsessed to work this through - obsessed to live again - obsessed to look forward - obsessed to dream again. Those were the positives that the leader slowly entrenched into the psyche of each and every individual.
The stakeholders at the top were very clear. It was a high profile event. The whole world was watching. They knew that they had to be successful. There was no failure. Time was running out. Money was not there. They had to do so much in so very little time. I believe this was a monumental disaster that required extreme leadership skills operating at a level of agility that required 24X7 operational control and management.
While one end of the world was making their working capital run an extra mile, the stakeholders at the other end was devising teams, rescue strategies, mobilising funds, consulting experts from across the world, securing an operational governance to monitor this on a minute to minute basis.
Consistent & Continuous Communications and Expectation management
I believe one of the fundamental points that kept the miners moving was a positive communications channels that was opened up between the top and the bottom. I believe the people on the ground knew exactly what had happened and how precarious their situation was. They were told that the going is going to tough and would be long drawn and that they had to conserve their sanity and working capital (resources) and plan for a long run. The communications was clear - here is the operational situation, this is what is being planned to get them out of the hole, here is how and when we are planning to do, these are the people who are helping us get out, this is the progress we have made thus far.
The communication was perfect. It was a no nonsense communication. It was real. It was pragmatic. It was not defeating. It spoke of hope. It ensured that all people in this hole had an uniform understanding of the ground situation and the way forward.
While this business like communication was consistently made an emotional tone was also silently discharged. Families were connected. They were installed on ground Zero. Their needs were catered to. They were connected to the miners below. The miners emotions were managed.
I believe this was one of the single most important strategy on part of the stakeholders - effective, true, consistent, and continuous communications.
Leverage the best talent from across the world to plan the journey forward
Clearly this event had no precedence at all. There were several isolated rescue incidences that the stakeholders could have relied for strategies and tools and techniques. I believe this rescue mission required a different sort of ingenuity and strategy to get the job done without mishaps. It was very clear that effective collaboration across the mining community was required to extract the best techniques, technology, and expertise for conducting this rescue mission. The team was purposeful. They thought out of the box. They planned their strategies meticulously and consulted the best in the world.
I believe when organisations go through a rut period it is important to thrown politics out of the window and find the best people, place them in the right place, provide them complete support, and manage through stringent governance and that’s exactly what transpired in Chile.
Develop multiple execution Plans and work the contingencies
Various execution plans were blueprinted - two were field tested and the strategy finally settled on the third blueprint. I believe that was so fundamental because in the process multiple strategies were conceived, discussed to bare details, boiled down to three executable ones, tested two, and then settled on one to take it to conclusion. I believe that required a governance mechanism that was not tied down to any particular philosophy, receptive to any idea, open to apply innovation, a decision making process that was quick, and a direction that was an univocal and unambiguous.
Contingency planning was top class. at one point the authorities was so clear that when an observer asked as to whether they thought about this and that this stakeholder alludes that they have through everything that can go wrong and have hundreds of contingencies planned.
That was something. That was so very responsible for getting this done 2 months ahead of time.
Setting new operational standards
The new lesson I am sure this saga finally opened the way for was the new operational standards for the whole mining industry. I am sure new operational standards and SLA and quality mechanisms will be industrialised throughout Chile definitely and lessons drawn by the large mining world. I also believe this saga will have created a new waterline for operational efficiencies.
The 33 miners have come out alive. They have inadvertently united a failing state. Made them believe that if push came to shove the country can do it. They have the people. They just need clarity, direction, and management. It has now created a new faith of followers. The country has gained a new faith. New confidence. New hopes. They have also seen their leader in action. I just hope these micro level stories mobilise a more macro economic revival over the next years
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