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What happens when bosses ignore memos from subordinates? The country is now learning the answer to that question in a most painful way. On July 10, 2001, an FBI agent in Phoenix [Arizona] wrote a memo raising serious concerns about Middle Eastern men attending U.S. flight schools. The memo never made its way up the chain of command, and no action was taken. --Richard Behar, introd. to 'FBI's 'Phoenix' memo Unmasked', Fortune [date?], [date accessed?]. (See (incomplete) list of Behar's Fortune articles in his section of his Publications [some defunct links].)

Richard Behar#3

BureaucracyFailureManagementSecurityWarning

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About this quote

What does it mean?
Behar uses an FBI agent's ignored memo about flight schools to illustrate the dangers of bureaucratic negligence.
In plain terms
He argues that ignoring warnings from staff leads to painful consequences for the country.
What can you take from it?
Bureaucratic failures to communicate warnings can have severe national security impacts.

Where it applies

  • national security
  • organizational management

Putting it to work

  • learning from past failures
  • improving internal communication

Questions to consider

  • How can organizations ensure critical warnings reach decision makers?

Another view

The text references a specific event without fully detailing the outcome in this snippet.

More from Richard Behar

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  2. For the TIME story, at least 10 attorneys and six private detectives were unleashed by Scientology and its followers in an effort to threaten, harass and discr…

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  3. Full text at Time Magazine Website - 'The Thriving Cult of Greed and Power', Richard Behar, Time Magazine (May 6, 1991)

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