FOD - Foreign Object Damage

Editor's Note:  Article author John Esparza is President and CEO of the Texas Trucking Association.

Foreign Object Damage or FOD is simply any substance, debris or article alien to a vehicle or system which could potentially cause damage.  We all go to great lengths to protect ourselves from foreign intrusion which can cause us irreparable harm.  As well we should.  The disruption of progress can disguise itself in many forms.  What's most important, is that we identify and protect ourselves from it.  We prepare.  We have a uniform plan to equalize any harmful effects - any unwanted outcome.   

I have a buddy who while in the Navy worked on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier.   He once told me that periodically the whole crew would link arms and walk every square inch of the deck - forwards and backwards, scanning and looking for any object, large or small that may have made its way, undetected onto the carrier.  While many of you are familiar with the size of an aircraft carrier, the next time you fly out of your local airport - think about packing all that runway, equipment, personnel and then add armament onto a relatively small space.  I'll remind you, that small space is also a floating living quarters for thousands of America's finest.  Pretty impressive.  That kind of logistical efficiency also brings some very high stakes.  Yet it always struck me as odd that arguably one of the most important of tasks, was handled rather rudimentary  - simple, but highly effective.  Get out there with your own eyes and see for yourself.  Put on your coat and walk that deck.  

So, in this case, should a foreign object go undetected and further ingested into the turbine intake of a multi-million dollar aircraft at the very instant it is being catapulted off the deck of an aircraft carrier at full throttle - loaded to the gills with fuel and arms -complete chaos and cataclysmic failure could result.  Not to mention the potential for loss of life.  As I mentioned, the stakes are very high.  Therefore, systemactically checking for foreign objects that can cause mayhem is mandatory and requires an extraordinary amount of discipline.  Another great example of how taking care of the little things promote the bigger things falling in place.  

And if you think about it - the faster the speed of the aircraft, the more catastrophic the mayhem.  This is not so different then how we manage and lead right here at home.  First, always be on the look out for FOD.  It can come in many forms and all of them are disruptive.  The faster we go and the more we are trying to consume in our day, the higher the likelihood the mayhem will be great should we fail to detect those foreign objects.  Second, when it comes to looking for FOD, make it a team effort and get all hands on deck  - quite literally.  You have already surrounded yourself with a team you trust - now test them regularly.  When they are successful - notice, affirm and give thanks.  It's that simple.  And lastly, have a plan for dealing with mayhem.  No matter what we plan or what precautions we take, there will always be failures in the system.  Have a plan that everyone has rehearsed.  In the end and no matter what, it takes a sharp eye to recognize mayhem in the making and strong leadership to know that we must learn from our failures - any degree of failure.  Failure is not fatal, it is a learning experience, but failure to change eventually will be. 

John D. Esparza

President and CEO