Where We Went Wrong (7 Points)

Do you remember the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster (video below)? I'd daresay most of us have the Shuttle Columbia crash more on our minds since it happened - can you believe it? - it's already been eight years ago. The Shuttle Columbia blew apart upon reentry into the atmosphere in 2002. The Space Shuttle Challenger, on the other hand, blew up 73 seconds after liftoff in 1986. I was in my bedroom getting ready for the day when the news broke. (I worked nights at the time.) Can you remember where you were and what you were doing?

Inevitably, when something goes wrong, if we want to avoid such a problem in the future, then we need to go back and look for the why behind the wrong. Right? (I always wanted to do that: wrong / right.) For the Challenger, investigations would show it was a tiny "O" ring that was the culprit behind the crash. But it was so much more than that (including the known flaws that were glossed over and unreported) that only going back to consider where they (NASA) went wrong could reveal.

How does this relate to us? At any given time someone is dealing with something gone wrong. Thankfully, they're not at the level of the Challenger disaster most of the time. Whether it's a big wrong or a small wrong, evaluation is necessary to move forward.

Which brings me to a quick and simple list I put together should you find yourself in a place of needing to evaluate...

Where We Went Wrong:

1. Didn't ask for advice
2. Didn't listen to advice
3. Followed bad advice
4. Dismissed good advice
5. Refused to budge
6. Refused to take a stand
7. Were too proud

(Above picture in the public domain: click here.)