Zen and the art of propane safety

You won’t find the word Zen in most dictionaries. I finally found it in the Random House Word Menu: Zen – “The practice of self- discipline and meditation to achieve direct spiritual enlightenment … seeking intuitive illumination through simplicity, meditation and instruction from the masters.”

My personal previous exposure to Zen comes from two unusual sources: Robert M. Persig’s book, “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance” and the movie, “Caddy Shack.”

There are two examples of Zen in Caddy Shack. One is when playboy bachelor Ty Web (played by Chevy Chase) plays golf while blind folded. The other, more memorable scene is the priest playing the perfect game in a lightning storm. Both could do no wrong; they were “in the zone.”

Persig’s book, on the other hand, is a seemingly endless introspective into self-awareness and self-empowerment. It is required reading for all MBAs.

The one resounding concept that made an impression on me was Persig’s belief that we each have a responsibility to know how to use and repair the things we use in our life’s work. The bottom line here is that you own the “motorcycle” so you’d better learn how to take care of it.

What in the world does all this Zen stuff have to do with safety? It’s about keeping your team of people focused.

Without self-discipline, intuitive illumination, exposure awareness or teaching from the masters, these responsibilities will become less real every day. Then an incident wakes us up, we pray it wasn’t ours and we promise to make a better effort. Why wait?

When it comes to propane products and services, liability exposures come with everything we touch or sell. Every gallon delivered, every system delivered to or serviced, every product we install, and every cent of profit earned comes with a price – the obligation to do it safely.

I remember attending Sunday school and hearing the phrase “Faith is not conditional.” I believe the subject came up when I confessed to praying for a new bicycle for Christmas.

I also remember a Burt Reynolds movie, “The End.” Upon learning he has a terminal illness, Burt’s character tries to swim out into the ocean to drown himself. He swallows a little water, then decides that he wants to live. On the long swim to shore, Burt cuts many deals with God. “I’ll donate 50 percent of my income to charity if you just let me live.” Closer to shore, Burt assures God that he would follow through with at least 25 percent. As he steps on the beach, he renegs entirely and claimed the deal was off because “You made me sick in the first place.”

Such is the nature of conditional faith. It comes alive when we are in crisis and goes away quietly with resolve.

We are not always in crisis. The exposures of the propane industry are termed to be low frequency/high severity. Unfortunately, lack of frequency can lead to complacency and a false sense of satisfaction with doing our best in a changing environment. While most propane marketers do their best to keep up with compliance issues, lack of frequency and lack of pressure can impact the sense of urgency

Complacency is born through subtle increments of acceptable compromise.

There is an old homespun observation about how a frog in a kettle won’t know it’s cooking to death as long as the heat is turned up slowly. Open insurance competition and deferred claims settlements have been like a long soak in a hot tub for most propane marketers.

For years the insurance companies kept the burner on low; now they have turned up the heat. Loss control requirements are designed to reduce or eliminate accidents. The increased pricing is a reflective value of their costs.

That hot tub is starting to look like a blender. It has never been more important to be focused and wake up to new safety challenges.

We all could use a little Zen in the practice of safety.

The ability to stay focused, and not become satisfied is the challenge that faces us all every day. It requires intuitive illumination, exposure awareness and instruction from the masters (leadership). The message has to be passionate. The communication has to be effective. We want our people “in the zone” when it comes to doing the right thing in the plant, in the field and in the office.

“Zen and the Art of Propane Safety” will only come from disciplined determination and the will to be aware of all stakeholders in the process. Leadership is the foundation of responsibility. We own the responsibility to market, sell and service propane products as the clean burning safe fuel of choice for our customers.

Keep your people focused and “in the zone.”

Be honest about conditional safety practices.

Let’s hop to it!