02/02/10
HOW DID I GET HERE? "The Consequences of Ignoring The Warning Signs Everywhere."
It all happened so quickly. One phone call, lots of mystery, then
the ensuing face to face visit with the concerned physician and voi·là;
the Doctor warns: ‘your blood test shows that your sugar is 325’ upon
expressing my incredulity and cynical disagreement with the blood
work’s findings, I was challenged by my physician to permit him to
check my blood right then and there, in front of my wife and the nurse.
one prick on my finger and two seconds later the reading corroborates
the findings: the reading is 284! My dear Doctor feeling totally
vindicated continues on: ‘you are a diabetic, pull up your shirt
(pronounced shoit) I must give you a shot of insulin immediately’.
Welcome to the world of diabetes! It was a mixture of shock and
confusion for me. Although I understand that this is not the end of the
world and that there are more serious life threatening diseases that I
could have been diagnosed with; I was not prepared to either hear or
even believe that I could be a diabetic. I do however, feel-in
hindsight- that I am fortunate.
I guess most folks- when faced with this type of news- think about
the things they didn’t get to do in life; some would exclaim that they
never got to see the seven wonders of the world (I could never afford
to do it anyway) . Others would lament not taking care of their health
while they had a chance. Me? I am a little easier to please and cheaper
too. All I could think about was the fact that I never had my own dog
and that perhaps now would be a good time for me to have a canine
companion that can walk with me everyday and listen to me crying the
blues without interrupting.
Here I am faced with the cold hard truth that my life is going to
change drastically; I can no longer enjoy the sweet and refreshing
taste of the best drink ever known to humanity: Coca Cola Classic! I
have to eat only stuff that tastes like cardboard, leather or just
plain backyard grass. (I know the readers think this is an
exaggeration). The good news is that these things are supposed to be
healthy for me. I am not really happy about having to give myself a
shot of insulin everyday and then having to prick my fingers four times
a day in order to monitor my blood sugar.
I argue that this whole thing happened overnight. Guess what? It
did not! I had plenty of time to remedy what is now a serious health
condition. This is what I am learning with regards to the seemingly
unfair set of circumstances that comprise my predicament and amazingly
enough, there are some parallel similarities between my health issues
(I know you were wondering already!), and our business here at
Huck/Alcoa. Please read closely.
There were warning signs that my health was in trouble.
I was presented with facts that pointed to the risks and consequences
of my eating habits. Lab test after lab test, Doctor visit after Doctor
visit, the outcome was the same: a plead from my personal physician for
me to take heed to the warning signs which indicated that I was headed
for trouble. Again, I argue that this whole thing happened overnight
however by now I know better. There were a great number of warning
signs or proverbial flags that were raised not only throughout the last
couple of weeks but for at least the last couple of years.
For two years I have been told my medical Doctor that I needed to
be on a special diet, lose weight and that I must stop drinking Coca
Cola, especially since I was drinking about five per day two years ago
and last year ‘only’ three a day. Hey, I thought I was doing better. In
theory, cutting back from five to six sodas a day to a mere two to
three was called progress in my book, once again, wrong! There can be
many warning signs that our business is in peril. We could be perhaps
neglecting to meet the demands of our customers, ignoring some capacity
needs within the shop floor or simply failing to understand how
important the product we manufacture is to both our customers and
ourselves. Simply put; it is our bread and butter as well as theirs.
I chose to ignore the warning signs. I had dismissed
every word, and every ’bad’ lab result simply because I concluded that
there was plenty of time for me turn things around when I felt that the
time was right. There is no one to blame but me. There is no time to
start looking for a guilty party outside of myself. I made a decision-a
bad one-not to concern myself with what was going on two years ago.
Here at Huck/Alcoa we cannot afford to ignore any warning signs that
indicate that we could be losing our business to either a domestic or a
foreign competitor. If we don’t meet the needs, expectations, and at
times the demands of our customers somebody else will. Are there any
warning signs? Let’s purpose to make it our business to ensure that we
are the best company making the best product at the best possible
price. Let’s accomplish this individually as well as corporately;
whether you are making a sales call, a customer service call, machining
a component, inspecting it, shipping it, etc.
There is a price I must pay now for choosing to ignore the signs. It
goes without saying but I’ll say it anyway: I must stick to a very
strict and regimented diet. I can only eat certain kinds as well as
quantities of food. There are also the physical repercussions that I
have to live with now: eyesight problems, weight problems, etc. The
ultimate price we all could pay for ignoring any warning signs that
indicate we could lose a customer can range from losing credibility
within our market to losing our place in the market which would mean
cutbacks, layoffs, downsizing, etc.
It is not too late for me to take care of my health (corrective action). I
must take things seriously now and yet there is a ray of hope in this
whole account: I can learn to live with this disease and start taking
walks with my new dog Sara. I can improve my condition by following the
Doctors orders. I am certain that we have a great product and a great
group of people here that care about their livelihoods as well as the
product they design, manufacture, sell, etc. I am also certain that we
can improve our product, the lead times required to deliver it, etc. It
is never too late to make things better; to make things work for the
best.
Let’s not forget to look for warning signs, to address them,
rectify the problems before we end up at the bottom of the pile with
all the other companies and people who neglected to see the warning
signs or do something to correct them. Let us be vigilant, always ready
to be flexible enough to meet the needs and expectations of those
outhere whose lives at times, literally depend on how good, tough, and
reliable our tools are.
I know, I have said too much.
D.Min. David Silva, President Local 1562 I.A.M., Kingston NY
