When Jim Yong Kim was appointed President World Bank some months ago quite a few people where aghast. After all, Kim is a doctor, not a banker. Previously Kim led the World Health Organization and was President of Dartmouth College, hardly the background many expected for the leader of a global financial institution.
So far he seems to be doing a good job. Among other things, the bank staff who have been battered over the last few years express how much better the bank is running and they feel about the future of the bank and it’s ability to help the world economy.
One thing that struck me as one of the reasons for this improved culture and Bank functioning was in an interview Kim gave at the recent World Bank and International Monetary Fund meeting in Tokyo. I gather these comments electrified the audience.
Kim started by sharing a story from the medical world. “When a doctor kills a patient, at some point he has to stand up in front of a board and explain what happened, not to be blamed, but so that future generations of students and doctors can learn what went wrong.” And what do you do with this learning? Improve.
When failure happens, take responsibility, investigate, and solve the problem before it happens again. No blame, just an issue you caused needing to be fixed for the future.
At the Bank Kim is going to set up a panel to do a similar thing. This panel will investigate World Bank failures to find the reasons behind the failures and develop ways to improve Bank activities in the future.
As for accountability, it starts at the top. Kim has announced he will personally chair the the panel. Not only does this show the importance he places on the panel but it also shows that he is taking personal accountability for the solutions that emerge…and against which he will be measured in the future.
It sends the message that he is serious. He expects failures to be investigated, reasons found, solutions developed, and results to improve. And he is taking accountability for all of it. He truly believes what we all know but many seem to forget to exemplify: accountability starts at the top.
If you walk the talk and expect others to follow, they will. You will build a culture where failure is not for blame but for learning and accountability leads to a stronger organization with more effective implementation.
It looks like in spite of a collection of initial naysayers Dr Kim is turning out to be…just the physician to heal the Bank.
Jim Yong Kim and wife Younsook Lim
See him outline his vision for the World Bank
“He expects failures to be investigated, reasons found, solutions developed, and results to improve.”
He also shows the wisdom to acknowledge that failures exist. It is too common that failures are overlooked or spun as successes.
I’m familiar with airplane accident investigations. Even minor incidents, provide lessons, and sometimes learning those lessons means larger accidents are avoided.
Non-judgmental reflection is powerful.
Great stuff, Steve, and points well made. However, I can’t help but wonder how these evaluations start. Perhaps: “Get the panel together – we just killed another country!”