Mutually Accountable Excellence

Perhaps it is because of my work with self-organizing teams or my brother-in-law’s profession, either way I found this article fascinating.

http://nyti.ms/1gzDG9S

On a nuclear submarine deep under the ice, the view was quite stunning.

My strongest impression, though, was experiencing something you see too little of these days on land: “Excellence.” You’re riding in a pressurized steel tube undersea. If anyone turns one knob the wrong way on the reactor or leaves a vent open, it can be death for everyone. This produces a unique culture among these mostly 20-something submariners. As one officer put it: “You become addicted to integrity.” There is zero tolerance for hiding any mistake. The sense of ownership and mutual accountability is palpable.

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