| Too Many People Are Afraid Of Failing Or Making | | | | The beer outage lasted over four hours. It was |
| Mistakes | | | | painful - and embarrassing - to see the idle men and |
| They think it is better to play safe by not taking any | | | | machines waiting all night for me to get a new stock |
| risks. What they fail to realize is that they deprive | | | | of beer for them to continue the work they were |
| themselves of the opportunity to "grow" by their | | | | paid to do! Just before my shift ended the next |
| unwillingness to venture beyond the realms of what | | | | morning, I was able to send one full tank to |
| they already know, or are comfortable with. They | | | | packaging so bottling resumed as the morning duty |
| remain in their "comfort zones", and by so doing miss | | | | brewer took over. By then however, the damage |
| out on valuable learning opportunities. | | | | had been done. My inability to keep the lines going |
| "I have made mistakes, but I have never made the | | | | had meant the brewery's chances of meeting the |
| mistake of claiming I never made one" | | | | bottling volume target for the week had been |
| - James Gordon Bennett (1841 - 1918) Journalist | | | | severely jeopardized. I shuddered at the thought of |
| There is a saying that "you have not failed until you | | | | what my boss would say. He had specifically told me |
| give up trying to succeed". When you try to achieve | | | | to ensure we did not run out of beer. I felt very bad |
| a goal and things fail to work out, you can try using | | | | for having let him down. |
| this formula: W x R(to the power of 3) i.e. Withdraw, | | | | 3. Applying An Adaptation Of The Formula |
| Reflect, Refocus and Return. Let's take them one at | | | | Downcast but still puzzled as to what could have led |
| a time: | | | | to such gross miscalculation on my part, I went back |
| Withdraw - Step away. Take a break - maybe a | | | | to the brewers' office and checked the paper I had |
| stroll to a quiet place where you can free your mind | | | | used for my calculations again(this was the |
| from the potential worries about the problem. | | | | "Withdraw/Reflect" stage ). That was when I noticed |
| Alternatively, relax your mind by reading a book or | | | | the error I made in computing the amount of |
| doing something else that has little to do with the | | | | Guinness extract to be added to the beer. In my |
| problem that occurred. | | | | rush to supply the needed figures to the operator, I |
| Reflect - Analyse what happened and try to establish | | | | had inadvertently punched in a wrong volume of |
| what went wrong to cause your failure. You will need | | | | mature beer to be added resulting in the calculator |
| to be honest with yourself here. (Maybe a close | | | | returning a much larger volume of Stout flavouring |
| associate or confidant might come in useful to help | | | | extract than required. |
| inject some objectivity into the analysis. Note that I | | | | As soon as I realized this, I could not help instantly |
| said "Maybe"). At the end of this process you should | | | | thinking that if I had been looking at a computer |
| have identified (possibly written out) specific aspects | | | | screen with all the tank volumes and parameters |
| of your failed plan most likely to have caused the | | | | typed in, and formulas returning the estimated |
| problem. | | | | volumes to be added, I would have had a better |
| Re-focus - Here you will take the findings from the | | | | chance of discovering my error earlier! |
| Reflect stage and use them to decide on | | | | There and then I made up my mind to develop a |
| modifications that will be needed to make your plan | | | | spreadsheet that would enable me accurately and |
| work when next you try to achieve your goal. Again, | | | | reliably calculate needed make-up volumes for beer, |
| here the benefit of input from other "trusted" | | | | and additives blending whenever I was on duty(this |
| persons(close associates who share your vision, and | | | | was the "Re-focus" stage). |
| sincerely empathise with you) could be explored. Just | | | | Over the next two night shifts, I began building a |
| make sure that those you invite (as Napoleon Hill | | | | Lotus spreadsheet(this was the "Return" stage) for |
| warned) are people who DO NOT take defeat or | | | | my calculations, gradually modifying it to |
| failure seriously. You should end this stage with a | | | | accommodate every possible scenario I could |
| clear idea of what you need to do differently or | | | | anticipate - including documented occurrences I had |
| better when next you try out your plan. | | | | been told about by my senior colleagues. |
| Return - You take your modified plan back to the | | | | 4. Testing The Solution Developed |
| real world and try again to use it to achieve your | | | | Eventually, after about a month, my spreadsheet had |
| cherished goal! | | | | become a close companion that helped me safely |
| IMPORTANT NOTE: Now, in all likelihood, as has been | | | | plan for accurate beer blending for bottling whenever |
| my personal experience, this entire process can | | | | I was on duty. I never bothered to tell anyone about |
| happen within a very short period(hours, minutes or | | | | it because as I said earlier, my senior colleagues were |
| seconds even) depending on what the problem is and | | | | mostly quite comfortable using the calculator. Also, a |
| how much experience you've had with it previously - | | | | few had scoffed at the idea of totally converting all |
| or the nature of circumstances under which it has | | | | the calculator dependent computations for process |
| happened. As such, I expect that if at all you decide | | | | management and report generation to PC |
| to, you will adapt the above elements to suit your | | | | spreadsheet format as I had proposed when I first |
| needs in planning how you may deal with setbacks | | | | joined them. So I thought it would be easier and |
| that come your way when they do occur. | | | | better to simply use it for myself. |
| I will now share with you an actual experience I had | | | | 5. Solution Is Adopted By Entire |
| in which I applied an adaptation of the WR3 formula | | | | Department(Success!) |
| to turn a major blunder I made on my first night shift | | | | As fate would have it however, my boss - Greg |
| duty into a career advancement opportunity two(2) | | | | Udeh - one day walked into the office and saw me |
| months later. | | | | using the spreadsheet, which I had named "Beer |
| A True Career Story | | | | Racking Projection Table"("Racking" being a term |
| As a Trainee Brewer in Guinness Benin Brewery, I | | | | describing beer make-up and transfer from the |
| went through a harrowing experience on my first | | | | storage/maturation area into bottling tanks). |
| night shift as Brewer On Duty. Before then I had | | | | He asked me what I was doing with the |
| been attached to senior, more experienced brewers | | | | spreadsheet. I demonstrated how it worked - |
| who had put me through on how to supervise the | | | | including how close(to +/- 2 units) the computed final |
| workforce, and do the various calculations for | | | | results it gave often were to those the laboratory |
| managing the brewing process. | | | | returned by their analysis of the blended tank. I had |
| 1. Some Background | | | | actually been carefully collating the results from the |
| During my training I had been particularly | | | | lab and comparing them with the spreadsheet's |
| uncomfortable with the use by the older brewers of | | | | computed parameters for each bottling tank that |
| calculators in computing weighted averages for as | | | | was filled. The high degree of positive correlation |
| many as nine(9) beer parameters for each bottling | | | | between the computer and lab results was glaring. |
| tank to be blended. It was not uncommon to see a | | | | That benefit, in addition to over 90% reduction in |
| duty brewer punching furiously at a calculator while | | | | time taken to do weighted average calculations for |
| the operator waited for him to finish and pronounce | | | | beer blended to packaging, and increased flexibility in |
| the quantities of beer and other additives to be used | | | | choice and number of storage vessels used for |
| for filling the next bottling tank. | | | | blending instantly appealed to Greg. |
| There were times when to correct some poor beer | | | | Suddenly, it became obvious that brewers could |
| parameters, we had to blend mature beer from up | | | | safely dispense with the exclusive use of calculators |
| to four different storage vessels into one bottling | | | | for this task, as all nine(9) parameters for blending of |
| tank to produce beer with the right parameters for | | | | up to 4 mature beer tanks could be seen at once in |
| bottling. Can you just think about what it must have | | | | a printable on-screen (projection results table) format. |
| been like using a calculator to compute weighted | | | | Necessary adjustments in volumes of beer, additives |
| averages for parameters of four (4) different | | | | etc could also be easily made to achieve the desired |
| volumes of beer to get one set of nine(9) | | | | final beer parameter specifications. |
| parameters for a bottling tank? Pure drudgery I tell | | | | At the next departmental meeting, Greg announced |
| you! | | | | the existence of the spreadsheet and asked me to |
| What I found most difficult to accept was the fact | | | | put all other brewers through on how to use it. From |
| that despite the presence on the brewers' desk of a | | | | then on, the entire department formally adopted the |
| desktop PC with Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheet on it, the | | | | Racking Projection Table. As you can imagine, I got |
| brewers all kept using the calculator for this very | | | | noticed for this and other similar solutions I would |
| complex task. To be fair to them however, very | | | | later develop for use by the department. |
| rarely did any of them make the kind of error I | | | | Summary |
| eventually did in their calculations. I guess that was | | | | But if you recall how I began this story, it was a |
| because they had become very good at it over time. | | | | very unpleasant first attempt at doing my job the |
| For rookies like me however, the learning curve was | | | | way it had always been done by those who taught |
| simply too(needlessly I thought) steep, and the entire | | | | me to do it, that led me to find a better way of |
| routine too prone to avoidable errors. I did not like | | | | doing it myself. |
| that one bit, and felt I could never get used to | | | | If I had simply given up and not challenged myself as |
| working that way especially when a spreadsheet | | | | I did, in order to better equip myself to do a better |
| offering better value was in the PC on my desk! So, | | | | job next time(and so avoid making the same mistake |
| I made a mental note to explore using the | | | | again), it is unlikely that I would have developed the |
| spreadsheet to compute beer blending and make up | | | | spreadsheet that eventually became useful to many |
| volumes whenever I was on duty. But for that first | | | | others. The moral here is: |
| night shift, since I was just starting, I settled for the | | | | "It's not what happens to you that's important. It's |
| calculator - a decision I would later seriously regret. | | | | how you deal with it" - Can't recall who said this! :-) |
| 2. The Fateful Day/Event | | | | People may say "I told you so" or laugh at you etc. |
| Here's what happened. That day, after reading the | | | | Yes, you may have made a mistake. Maybe you |
| handover notes, I knew it was going to be a long | | | | were overconfident. The important thing is not that |
| night. My department(Brewing) had been struggling to | | | | you have now fallen. No. What should matter to you |
| keep up with the bottling lines which had been | | | | is what you get out of the experience. Do you know |
| enjoying smooth operations since the start of the | | | | more to be able to do better next time? If your |
| day. We had only one full tank of beer left, which | | | | answer is "Yes", then you have absolutely nothing to |
| was already being blended to two bottling lines at the | | | | worry about. |
| same time. I checked the combined speeds of the | | | | No matter how sensational your failure or mistake is, |
| lines, and estimated that it would take them another | | | | you can pick yourself back up, and try again and |
| hour and a half to empty it. If I was to avoid a beer | | | | again, more intelligently each time, till you succeed. |
| outage, I would have to ensure I got another full | | | | Let them laugh if they want - it would not be the |
| tank into the bottling hall before that time. | | | | first time people who eventually achieve phenomenal |
| Unfortunately we did not have comfortable stocks | | | | success get laughed at before they succeed! |
| of matured beer - with good parameters - ready for | | | | There is a part of the lyrics of England's Manchester |
| blending. This was mainly because the centrifuges had | | | | United Football club's marching song("Stand Up For |
| been acting up, failing to stop yeast from getting into | | | | The Champion") that I love so much. It goes thus: |
| the filtered beer. To cut the long story short, I | | | | "When I fall down, I have to pick myself back |
| managed to send two half tanks of beer to | | | | up(2ce)". |
| packaging. That should have bought us enough time | | | | It does not say "If I fall down". It says "When". |
| to send another full tank in within 2 hours. | | | | Periodic setbacks are inevitable, but when a true |
| But alas, it was not to be! By the time the laboratory | | | | champion falls, she picks herself up and tries again, |
| analysis came out, the beer color turned out | | | | and again UNTIL she succeeds. In or out of paid |
| excessively high for both half-tanks - way beyond | | | | employment, the principles described in this article can |
| what the company specifications permitted for | | | | be successfully applied to turn a bad situation around |
| bottling. I was devastated, but nothing could be done | | | | for the better. No special skill or talent is required. |
| at this stage, other than to watch the two bottling | | | | You only need to be willing to try. |
| lines run out the remaining beer from the last tank! | | | | |
