Balance Is a Function of Awareness (and Leadership Is, Too)
Photo by Mick Haupt
Balance is a function of awareness — and authentic leadership depends on it.
During the Christmas holidays my freshman year of college, I was hitchhiking from UT to Ole Miss to see my high school girlfriend.
It was early morning somewhere in southern Mississippi oil country. It was 30’s cold, and I had walked as long as I had ridden. I stopped at a diner, crowded with workers, on the edge of a small town.
I grabbed a counter seat and was warming up, nursing a hot coffee, contemplating a hot breakfast. As I was thinking about the rest of my trip, I overheard two guys next to me talking. Judging from their boots, overalls, and gimme caps, they were pretty clearly local workmen—oil rigs, I discovered.
I heard pride in that the Ole Miss Rebels were undefeated, SEC winners, and headed to the Sugar Bowl, when one said, “Did you hear about Carl?”
The other shook his head, and before he could say anything, the first said, “Landry fired him!”
“Fired him!” the other exclaimed. “What the hell for? Carl is a damn good rig man!”
“Well, apparently he was doing pre-dawn work, freezing cold, had his gloves off, and banged his hand on a pipe and dropped his wrench down the drill hole.”
“Yeah, that happens... he got fired over that?”
By this time, I was tuned into this conversation.
“Yeah... Landry calls him into his office, pushes the wrench across his desk, and tells Carl to pick up the rest of his tools, his paycheck, and get off the drill site. ‘That wrench cost us thousands of dollars in delays and maintenance to retrieve it out of that hole.’
Carl was really shocked and protested, of course. He told Landry it was an honest accident, in freezing cold and dark! Apparently, Landry said he did not pay for mistakes and again told Carl to gather up his tools and paycheck and get off the site.
‘What did Carl do?’
Well, Carl’s a stand-up guy, so he gathered up his tools, picked up his paycheck, and on his way to his truck went by the drill hole and threw that wrench back down the f***ing hole.
My laughter brought a couple of frowns from the two workmen, and I was still chuckling—and a bit warmed by what I had heard—as I faced the cold and the road again.
A little understanding might have gone a long way — recovering from mistakes in leadership often starts with perspective, not punishment.
That conversation on a cold Mississippi morning became a lasting lesson in authentic leadership, one grounded in empathy and awareness.
It reminded me of something back at school when I had done something inconsiderate to a classmate, and the professor noticed it. He pulled me aside as we were leaving class and commented on it, and then said something I have also often thought about over the years:
“Craig, it's worth remembering—people always get even.”
It is not always conscious or even intentional, and the unwritten rule remains, “Even the score.”
I have wondered what a balanced response—a little bit of understanding, forgiveness, and grace—might have brought to that situation years ago... a more loyal and determined worker, rather than a disgruntled enemy?
The cost in time and repairs was likely exceeded by the subtle cost of the poor leadership demonstrated—the lost affinity of the foreman's crew, the bad publicity shared in coffee shop and break gossip, the lost production in replacing someone, and the extra administration work—all of which could have been flipped with a little understanding, balanced nuance, and appreciation.
All tenets of the economics of decency.
Authentic leadership is as much about awareness as it is about accountability.
Probably not an uncommon scenario in the rough and tumble oilfield, and honestly, not that uncommon in today's organizations. It drives a lot of costs—unnecessary costs.
Moments like this remind us that leadership accountability begins with awareness, understanding, and grace.
When we act from leadership awareness, we lead with empathy, patience, and perspective — qualities that strengthen every team culture.
“If we do not change our direction, we are likely to end up where we are headed.”
— Chinese Proverb
Have a great week!
Craig
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Fundamental of the Week #1: ACT WITH INTEGRITY
Integrity is the core of everything. Tell the truth, acknowledge and own your mistakes, and clean them up with appropriate corrections. Do the right thing even when no one is looking.
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