At the beginning of the year I embarked upon a game of strip poker and last week I lost. Now, I stand here naked before you.
There is no place to hide when you make mistakes in a public forum. I have discovered this as I’ve slowly shed my garments as the year has progressed. I have underestimated the importance of specifics. Last week I was corrected for my estimation of $2 million as the cost of USM’s new logo. I had been told by unofficial sources the logo was an expensive venture. I placed a bet by printing this information and I lost. Though the new logo was not free (a consulting firm was hired and printing services adopted a new template for stationary) many people donated their time and money to support the project.
I also grossly overestimated the cost of wireless service to the University. Though USM’s share of that project’s funding was initially projected by an unofficial source to be around 50 percent I have since discovered it hovers around 10 percent. I played the risky cards I had and hoped they’d make the cut. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize I was only wearing my socks.
These errors have demonstrated the importance of accountability. Though it was unpleasant when President Pattenaude swooped on me at last week’s student leaders reception and informed me of my inaccuracies it was something that I deserved. Somebody needed to hold me accountable. It is the nature of responsibility. Responsibility for yourself, your actions, and sometimes for an organization.
When I began this job I was told by a past Free Press executive editor that I would need to take responsibility for myself as well as my staff because that is the nature of a leadership position. The leader is the fall guy. That rule applies to me in this tiny organization just as well as the President of the United States and this is where President Bush is going wrong. He refuses to take responsibility. Since the intense post 9/11 patriotic sentiment has subsided the country has begun wondering how 9/11 happened. Bush has taken every opportunity to pass the buck. He refuses to admit he’s lost the game and he’s standing there naked.
Most recently, he allowed his security adviser to take the heat for defending his non-action following the receipt of the controversial presidential daily briefing (PDB) titled “Bin Laden determined to strike in U.S.” Since its release to the public he has disregarded its contents saying “there was not a time and place of an attack.” Well gee, if it was handed to me on a silver plate like that I too could intercept a terrorist attack.
Rather than admit that maybe he didn’t take seriously enough this potential threat he blamed his intelligence agencies for allowing this incident to slip by unnoticed on their radar screens.
The entire country is pointing to him and trying to tell him that he’s not wearing any clothes but he refuses to acknowledge it.
Christy McKinnon can be contacted at [email protected]