Train Wreck

Many of you by now have probably heard of the tragic train accident del tren Once in Buenos Aires, just last week. Fifty-one passengers died and more than 600 were wounded when la Once, as the train is called, could not stop. The cause was not the fault of the conductor: the brakes on the train failed. What then ensued as the train pulled into the station was that simply because it could not stop, the train continued on until two of Newton's Laws were fulfilled. (Click HERE for an article with more information)

(These are not my photos; while I am near this Line, I was not at the time of the accident)

Given:
1. An object in motion will stay in motion and an object at rest will stay at rest unless an outside force acts upon that object.
3. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction.

Application:
1. The train had no brakes, so it kept moving (yes gravity slowed it down, but even as "slowly" as it was going, it had devastating repercussions)
2. The station was not moving.
3. The train hit the station with X amount of force, so the station had to "push" back.

Observation:
Accordion effect.

Explanation:
First and foremost the result of such an accident was magnified by the population density of the train: most people take la Once for work, as such, they are in a hurry and try to reduce travel time.

Method: crowd the first two cars, closest to the station. This cuts time walking from the end of the train to the station.

When the train hit the station and could do nothing but crumple within, the first two cars crushed each other and thus the passengers inside.

Result:
Tragic loss of human life, unnecessarily.

Leadership question: WHAT'S REALLY GOING ON HERE?

What the problem ISN'T:
-People in Buenos Aires go to bed too late at night so they wake up late and have to rush to work.
-They are lazy in getting to the station on time.
-They crowded the first two cars.
-The conductor made a mistake.
-The brakes failed.

What the problem IS:
The maintenance and overview of the safety and regulations of the train companies is not upheld honestly.

The train companies in Buenos Aires are privately owned: public transportation owned by a private sector. However, they are subsidized by the government, thus the people through taxes, in order to lower the cost.

As much as this was a tragedy in loss of human life and an exposure for the lack of communication between hospitals to inform families of the injured where their relatives were if not the morgue, it has become more of a gateway for the people to question the honesty of their government again. The people know they pay taxes, and they know that the government subsidizes the companies to maintain the trains in the public transport division, so what they demand now is an explanation as to who is responsible for this accident.

In the very beginning, I thought that that was a little bit unnecessary: after all, in an accident where the brakes failed, how can anyone be held responsible? But then, after more information was divulged - like some trains didn't even have the glass to fill the window space, or doors that closed properly, let alone properly inspected brakes (not to mention the fact that the seats are ABOMINABLE) - it is clear that there must be corruption along the line of money.

If the money isn't being used to maintain the trains, where is it going exactly? Who is leading the company and leading with ulterior motives? Should the President have to answer to these questions about a private company because the government subsidizes them? What about the CEO of the train company? People demand answers: which leader must rise to explain.

Take Away:
If you look at the seats, and the broken windows and malfunctioning doors, those are all problems you and everyone else can see. Given the status of such visible aspects, what is to be said about the internal machinery of the train?

Let that be applied to your leadership perspective, if you choose.

Angela