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Leadership Lessons: Deep from the Quecreek Mine Rescue
-One Leader's Perspective
By
Greg L. Thomas
During the last week of the month of July 2002, much of the USA was transfixed
with the rescue of miners beneath the earth in Somerset, Pennsylvania. For 77
hours the news media ran constant updates on the fate of 9 trapped miners. I
was one of the people who found myself attracted to
the story and its outcome for a number of reasons. First, by coincidence, while
they were trapped, I stayed overnight at a Hampton Inn in Somerset, PA during a
business trip. I had chosen that night and location a week earlier only because
it was right off the PA Turnpike. A number of TV reporters stayed at the same
facility. Secondly, the event had all the ingredients of a great news
story…tragedy, fear, tension, hope, triumph and a wonderful ending. There was
something else inherent in this story that was covered sparingly by the news
media. It is the outstanding example of leadership demonstrated by so
many fine people. In this article I would like to examine the chronological
events of the rescue and provide some lessons we can all learn from them. As we
go through these events and review the lessons to be learned, ask yourself how
they might apply to your business, family or community.
Wednesday,
July 24th
8:50
PM
A
number of miners are working 240 feet below the earth mining for coal. The Quecreek mine they are laboring in is close to an older
abandoned (Saxman) mine that has previously been
flooded with water. Supplied with outdated maps and information, the Saxman mine is not expected to be adjacent to where
they are digging. The miners accidentally break through the wall of the
abandoned mine, allowing over 50 million gallons of water to rapidly flood
their mining location. Nine of the miners are able to escape the waters out of
the mine entrance by fleeing 1½ miles to the top. However, 9 other
miners are left trapped. The waters quickly engulf the mine sealing the
entrance and forcing the trapped miners to seek the highest point underground.
They eventually gather together in a higher pocket of the mine, but the waters
continue to swell, making the prospect of drowning a real possibility! They are
virtually trapped and helpless with no possible way of escape. For a while they
have radio contact with the other group of miners who escaped but they
soon lose all contact. It will take a miraculous rescue to save them, or they
are absolutely doomed to die. All they can do is hang on together and wait.
Leadership Lesson: These men had been trained in
effective safety procedures. Because of their extensive past training
they know what to do in an emergency! They gather themselves together in one
location where they believe they have the best opportunity for survival from
the rushing waters. These are individuals who understand the necessity of contingency
planning. When an emergency strikes it is too late to “wish” I had
considered this possibility before! They knew what to do because they had
previously been taught to analyze potential situations like this and had
mentally rehearsed how to respond this kind of a crisis. When the emergency
occurred, they were almost able to respond instinctively and effectively. We
too need to think and plan ahead for contingency situations. To ask the
question “what if” is not intended to make one paranoid or over anxious, but to
consider the possibilities that exist. Sometimes these possibilities are
unpleasant but a leader knows the importance of at least mentally rehearsing
plan “B” or “C” ahead of time in case plan “A” backfires.
Workers who escaped the mine inform those working on top that the
tragedy has occurred. Without hesitation, it is decided that an airshaft pipe
must immediately be sunk into the mine to provide fresh and warm compressed
air. There is serious concern about hypothermia setting in since the mine and
water temperatures are in the 55-degree range. It will also help stabilize an
air bubble in the mine keeping the waters at bay from engulfing the miners. No
one knows exactly where they are! However, the other miners who escaped know
where the trapped miners were working. These miners who escaped offer valuable
input on where they might be located.
Leadership
Lesson: This is a time for immediate
decision-making skills. The issue is life or death and there is no time to
debate the merits of an airshaft. Remember that the most effective type of
leadership in emergency situations is autocratic leadership by an
individual who knows what to do and has the courage to demand it. There is no
time for committee meetings, consensus building or impact studies. The most
important decision of the entire rescue is made right here to get warm
compressed air to the miners ASAP! The problem with many individuals is that
they are autocratic in all situations, including non-emergency
situations. By doing this they fail to use the needed talent and experience of
others in making daily routine decisions. By always having an autocratic
demeanor they alienate other highly talented people and make some big mistakes
because they don’t listen to others well. Do you remember the example of the
former Mayor of New York City, Rudy Guiliani? Before
the tragic events of 9/11 he was harshly criticized for his overbearing
leadership in guiding the city. However, during and after the events of 9/11,
his autocratic style was exactly what was needed during a time of extreme
emergency and urgent decision-making needs. There is a difference between the
rare emergency response needed in times of crisis and the most effective
response in typical situations. Want to be a highly effective leader?
Know the difference!
11:30
PM
Bob
Long has just gone to bed. He gets a phone call about the disaster. Bob is an
engineer for CMI engineering in Somerset, PA. Bob has $60,000 worth of military
grade high-tech surveying equipment in the back of his Chevy Blazer. He is
told, “We need your GPS stuff down here right now!” It is Bob who will decide
exactly where this 6” airshaft will be located. Bob uses his laptop computer
and a sophisticated Global Positioning System to communicate with a satellite
and determine the coordinates of the mine location. At 1:15 AM on Thursday
morning, Bob drives a stake into the ground at the precise spot they
will drill. It is believed to be directly over the area of the mine where the
trapped miners would have gathered together. It is in a farm field right off an
access road near the highway. However, an error of a few feet either way might
miss the tunnel pocket entirely. Since it takes hours to drill a 6”diameter
hole 240 feet into the earth, they don’t have the time to poke around until
they find the right spot. The drilling begins with not only the 6” airshaft,
but with other shafts intended to pump water out of the mine and lower the
water level. Rescuers have requested a special 30” diameter drill to be sent
from West Virginia to drill a rescue shaft.
Leadership Lesson: Bob Long is a real hero. He has the
training, skills and tools needed to get the job done right the first time! But
he doesn’t act alone. First he must find out from others where they truly
believe the trapped miners have taken refuge. He must use all the skills he
possesses to set up the equipment correctly, take the right measurements, enter
the correct input on his laptop computer, double check his measurements and
analyze the results. Then he must decide, and accept the responsibility for his
final decision. This is not the time to wish he had taken that “other” class
last year or bought the new laptop a month ago. It is a time to focus, use all
the skills at your present disposal, and get the job done. He does his job
well, drives in the stake where the digging is to begin and totally accepts the
pressure this task has required. Too many individuals suffer from analysis
paralysis and become ineffective because they won’t make the difficult
decisions. They will often find 100 reasons why they can’t. Effective
leadership requires using all the tools presently at your disposal, making the
decision and accepting responsibility for it. For more information on “analysis
paralysis” read our weLEAD March 2002 Tip of the Month located here!
Thursday, July 25th
5:30AM
After
a few hours of drilling, the 6” airshaft is dug and the pipe is sunk into the ground.
The miners are reached and are in the location where they were expected to be!
The shaft begins pumping warm compressed air into the ground. The miners tap on
the shaft to let the rescuers know they are still alive. The taps continue
until about noon. But with so much drilling going on it is very hard to hear
them.
Leadership Lesson:
The miners communicated
back to the rescuers that they were alive and appreciated the effort to help
them. They banged on the pipe and on the ceiling to communicate they were still
alive and in need of rescue. Great leaders seek and
desire communication from others. Remember that communication is a two-way street and it is far more than simply the expression of
words. Communication is also expressed in our gestures, facial features, personal demeanor and how we react to events. Yet, the most
important words a leader can give to someone who is struggling on the job, at
school or at home is “I care, and I am here to help.”
Afternoon
A 30-inch-diameter drill arrives from West Virginia to drill a shaft wide enough to drop a rescue cage and pull the miners to the surface. Drilling begins in the evening and is expected to last 18 hours to reach miners if all goes well.
Friday, July 26
1 AM
Unfortunately, all does not go well! After
drilling down only 100 feet the bit on the giant drill breaks
while drilling through hard dense rock. This temporarily halts all digging
efforts. This is a discouraging blow to rescue efforts. Workers attempt to
remove the bit with a tool that was supposed to grab it and twist it loose, but
the shank of the bit was stripped and it wouldn’t budge. It would end up taking
14½ hours simply to get the broken bit out of the hole.
10:30
AM
Drilling begins on a second rescue shaft while workers try to get the broken drill bit out of first hole.
Leadership Lesson: Life is full of disappointments.
Sometimes the best efforts and finest motives of leaders still must
confront large problems. But leaders don’t give up or quit. They reach deep
down to solve difficult problems and overcome obstacles. Don’t ever forget the
classic short commencement speech given by Winston Churchill where he
powerfully told a graduating class only a few short words that included…never
give up! Leaders also step out of the box and look for creative solutions
to problems. In this case, if the first rescue shaft is halted, start another
one. As it turned out, it is now believed by some observers that this may have
been a blessing in disguise. It is possible that if the 30” drill-bit had not
broken, and the miners had been reached this early, it may have created suction
or flooding of the mine pocket because not enough water had yet been pumped
out! Leadership requires imagination and flexibility when plan “A” is often
thwarted.
12 PM
U.S.
Navy personnel arrive with hyperbaric pressure chambers in case rescued miners
need decompression to avoid the bends. It is also later planned to have 9 EMS
vehicles ready to drive the miners for medical care and 9 helicopters ready to
fly them to medical facilities if necessary.
Saturday, July 27
Morning
While the drilling continues, crews
begin reviewing and practicing underground rescue procedures they'll perform if
the trapped miners are found alive.
Leadership
Lesson: Notice the advance planning
and strategy. People are not simply standing around and wringing their hands.
Leaders are thinking one, two, and three steps ahead! What if the
EMS vehicles are too far away from the right medical facility? We will use
helicopters. What if the miners have the bends? We will have hyperbaric
chambers on site. What if we find the miners are in “such and such” condition
or situation? We will have rescue crews practicing procedures beforehand for
most any contingency. The same holds true for any leader. We must think one, two, three steps ahead of where we are right now. How do we do this? It is easy
if we have a vision. The vision in this mining crisis was to bring the miners out alive.
This vision naturally led to a number of questions that begged for real
solutions. The same is true for us and if you struggle to think or plan ahead
it is probably because you really don’t have a well-defined vision for yourself or your organization.
1:30 PM
After
contact with family members, Pennsylvania
Governor Mark Schweiker tells the media that the
original first escape shaft has been drilled to a depth of 214 feet. This is
just 23 feet from where the miners were thought to be located. Also by this
time, shaft No. 2 was at a depth of about 190 feet.
10:16 PM
The drill
breaks into chamber pocket where the trapped miners are all huddled. The
rescuers lower a phone and contact the miners.
11:32 PM
Gov. Mark Schweiker announces to the world that all nine miners are
alive.
Leadership Lesson: There was great sensitivity throughout this
event to keep family members constantly informed and notified about
achievements before the media or
general public was informed. Communication with family was a high priority.
Today’s leaders are expected to be sensitive caring individuals who treat
others with the respect and dignity they deserve. It is insensitive and selfish
to seek or grab attention, or to be the first to “break the news” without
considering the people who have the right to hear it first. Think how many
recent corporate workers have discovered their fate on television news or in
the newspaper rather than hearing it directly from the so-called leaders of the
corporation. I am sure this rescue operation was far
from perfect. I am also sure there were some strong egos demonstrated by some
of the rescue team. But overall, this entire effort reflected a model of servant leadership as everything
and everyone took a secondary role to
keeping the miners alive, bringing them out of the mine and comforting their
families during the long wait.
Sunday, July 28
1 AM
The rescue cage is lowered into the mine. Randy Fogle is the first miner pulled from the rescue shaft and
the rest of the miners come in 10-15 minute intervals. The other miners in the order
of their rescue include Harry
"Blaine" Mayhugh, Thomas
Foy, John Unger, John Phillippi, Ron Hileman,
Dennis
J. Hall, Robert Pugh Jr., and Mark
Popernack. A statement by miner Harry Mayhugh during a press interview highlights my final
leadership lesson. He was asked the following questions and gave the following
replies…
Q: How were you guys holding on?
MAYHUGH:
“Snuggling each other. Laying up against each other or sitting back to back to
each other, anything to produce body heat, you know.“
Q: How -- who was it that really
kept you together?
MAYHUGH:
“Everybody. Everybody had strong moments. But any certain time maybe one guy
got down and then the rest pulled together, and then that guy would get back up
and maybe someone else would feel a little weaker, but it was a team effort.
That's the only way it could have been.”
Leadership Lesson: Teamwork
is what real leadership is all about. It took a large team of individuals to make
this rescue successful. Each had their own unique skills and talents to
offer. What if there had been no one like Bob Long and his GPS equipment
available? What if there had been no one to operate the big 30” drill? What if
there had been no one to drill the 6” airshaft? What if there had been no one
to connect pumps, or electrical systems, or administrators, planners, or
medical personnel? Teams wisely rely on the collective talent they
possess to achieve great things. Great leaders know their own
limitations and put together teams to
create an unlimited synergy for success. The miners were a team. They worked
together, struggled together and were willing to die together by even tying
themselves up as a single team. The miners knew they were in this situation together.
They huddled together for comfort, strength and encouragement. They relied on each other for emotional
support. Individually they would become discouraged and weak. But, together
they encouraged each other and were hopeful. The lesson here is the remarkable power of
teamwork. Here is an undisputable fact… a team of determined individuals
committed to a great cause is far more than the sum of its parts! This is a
vital lesson for modern leaders to ponder. If you think about it, no single
individual stood out as the leader
during this entire crisis. Yes, the governor was given a prominent TV presence,
but even he would admit that he was not the single
leader. Why? They were a team…all leaders…all-pulling toward achieving the same
vision and goal…each playing their vital part.
The mining
accident in Somerset, PA concluded with a positive and happy ending. A nation
watched, prayed and rejoiced to see the successful conclusion. The entire event
was a fine example of leadership in many different dimensions. People know how
to pull together and demonstrate leadership in tragic emergency situations. We
have seen this recently in the World Trade Center disaster and in this mining
rescue. Mankind has been occasionally able to do this for thousands of years in
virtually every culture. Yes, many fine people seem to almost instinctively
know how to do this in rare or catastrophic situations.
But a truly great people
will learn how to make this kind of leadership part of their culture every day!
Why not start today.
Comments
to: gthomas@leadingtoday.org
Related
Articles:
http://www.cnn.com/2002/US/07/28/mine.turning.point/index.html#
http://www.cnn.com/2002/US/07/28/mine.mayhugh.cnna/index.html
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About the author:
Greg has an extensive thirty-five years experience in public
speaking and has spoken to hundreds of audiences worldwide. Greg has a Master
of Arts degree in Leadership from
Bellevue University, where he also has served as an adjunct professor teaching
courses in business management and leadership since 2002. His first book, 52 Leadership Tips
(That Will Change How You Lead Others) was published
in 2006 by WingSpan Press. His second book, Making
Life's Puzzle Pieces Fit was published in March 2009. Both are available at
amazon.com. Greg is also the president of Leadership
Excellence, Ltd and a Managing Partner of the Leadership Management
Institute. Leadership Excellence, Ltd.
effectively builds individuals and organizations to reach their highest
potential through enhanced productivity and personal development using a number
of proven programs. He
is also the president and founder of weLEAD
Incorporated.