Rick Searfoss When to Go Over the Boss' Head

Of all the touchy elements of dealing with a difficult boss, perhaps the most challenging is deciding when and then acting to go over the boss' head "up the chain."  Tough choice, but one that can be eased with these guidelines:

1.  Make certain the boss is exhibiting a clear violation of legal or ethical standards or organization policies and processes. 

2.  Keep your own performance always above reproach and then do your best to take your emotions out of the picture when deciding how to present the issues up the chain.

3.  Once committed, recognizing that the greater good and standing of all is at stake and inaction could lead to greater harm, act with courage and conviction.

Early in my career I encountered a situation where, in retrospect, I should have spoken up about my own immediate supervisor's disregard for norms, procedures, and safety.  As a young fighter pilot I worked hard to understand a very complex aircraft, fly it up to but not beyond its limits and my own, and strike the right balance between aggressive mission accomplishment and avoiding tragedy.  For a time though I had a supervisor who almost wantonly disregarded critical aircraft checks and operating limitations, all the while blustering on for public consumption about what a great fighter pilot he was, making him nearly impossible to work for. We young guys not only disliked flying on his wing, but began to see him as an accident just waiting to happen.  Yet in the military environment of our squadron with him as our ranking officer and flight commander, no one quite got to the point of going over his head in the chain of command.

One day we had a jet overdue from a mission, no contact, and after a tense few hours we learned that this particular boss had crashed his aircraft into the North Sea, taking a young crewmate navigator with him.  Had one of us more junior pilots tactfully yet convincingly highlighted the situation to his superiors, backed up by facts and firm understanding of the unit norms and standards, it might have prevented the loss of two people and a multimillion-dollar combat aircraft. 

That tragic experience taught me a valuable lesson about speaking up and insisting on accountability, even from a superior.  We all need to have the courage and wisdom to evaluate similar, if perhaps not so dramatic, situations, make the tough call, and have our facts and understanding together enough to "push it up the chain" when called for in order to make a positive difference for our organization.