Announcing the resignation of Veteran Affairs Secretary Eric Shinseki, at the White House on May 30, 2014 Barack Obama stated: “I said we have to do better, and we will”.
Both Obama and Sloan Gibson underlined that they are fully committed to fixing the problems plaguing VA’s disciplinary system. If nobody doubted that Obama and his administration are experts in rhetorical declarations, realisation of their promises is a different story. Were the widespread atrocities against Veterans enough to prompt an action, or was Obama traditionally sending yet another “Mr. Fixit” to go through the motions of reforming VA?
Botched Business Plan
Robert McDonald, the former Procter & Gamble CEO stepped down from his post amid strong controversy. His critics claimed that McDonald was “too often away from the headquarters and out of touch”; some of large investors and P&G workers lost confidence in efficiency of his leadership.
Already as a VA Secretary nominee, McDonald vowed to establish corporate management practices at the agency. He went on making speeches and presentations; undeterred by the lack of results, he keeps comparing Veterans to customers and promises to “change the way the Department of Veteran Affairs does business”. Let’s correct the main error in this “business plan”: VA’s job is serving Veterans, not doing business. Veterans are no nonsense “customers” and won’t buy VA’s emblematic product.
Since Secretary McDonald can’t break out from his business spell, let’s see how well the “CEO” and his “company” would do in the real corporate world.
Corporate Social and Financial Responsibility
How responsible is VA’s corporate conduct? What about transparency, reducing corruption and accountability? How many employees were actually fired in connection with the wait list fraud: was it 900 or 60 or ten Pinocchios and a half? As for disappearing millions, in case of private company we would hear about a serious investigation and years in jail for crooks and cronies.
Values-Based Leadership
The VA’s “CEO” states:”I’m still guided by the West Point Cadet Prayer, which encourages us to choose the harder right rather than the easier wrong.” If so, Mr.Secretary, then stand with Veterans and not with “unfirable”bureaucrats.Listen to whistleblowers not to yes-men.
Corporate lingo
Companies have their own internal jargon, acronyms and code phrases. In P&G for example “AMJ”stood for April, May, June –fiscal third quarter, a “proctoid” was staff’s nickname. In VA when you lie you “misspeak”.
Deadline
Obama and McDonald promised to end veteran homelessness by the end of 2015.It’s June 2015 and thousands of our Veterans are still living in torturous conditions. If you mean business, how about some corporate credibility?
Work Ethic and Customer service
What should we start with? Deadly wait lists, falsifying records, over prescribing psychotropic drugs? Did Oscar the Grouch fill out customer satisfaction survey? How do you rate?
Well reputed companies have:”Customer is our King” for logo. Let’s compare it to: “Our Customer is Homeless” and the award for world’s worst customer service goes to Veteran Affairs.
Recently a Philadelphia VA manager came up with yet other creative and lucrative pastimes at work: fortune-telling and spiritual seances.Secretary McDonald should caution his employees – they could accidentally call up ghosts of Veterans who died homeless while VA bureaucrats wasted time and money. Additionally, Spirit of General MacArthur could simply tromp britches of a cadet who forgot his oath.
VA wouldn’t survive in the corporate world, where there are demands for results and accountability. We can compare it to a “company” only if we add “beyond Orwellian and hyper Kafkaesque”. What kind of “CEO” could reform VA? It would have to be an oath keeping Veteran, or simply a hard working patriot; quite clearly not yet another politician.
