Every leader faces the same choice after something goes wrong on the job. There are only two paths.

Today's focus: Path one: find the person, blame the person, remove the person. Call it accountability. Send the memo. Close the file. Path two: find the conditions, understand the conditions, fix the conditions. Share the learning so every crew benefits. Most companies choose path one. Not because they are bad companies. Because path one is faster. It has a clear ending. Somebody is held responsible. The file is closed. Path two is slower. It requires leaders to ask questions they might not like the answers to. Was the schedule realistic? Did we staff the job correctly? Has this procedure confused other crews before?

Path one protects the organization. Path two protects the next crew.

The next time something goes wrong on your job, pay attention to which path your company takes. That tells you everything about your culture.

Today's full edition of Wired for Safety drops at 11 AM PST. I go deep on what post-incident culture actually looks like, what blame costs you, and the five questions that turn an incident into a lesson. Watch your inbox.

— Lito Wilkins