Superficial Action

I went to a meeting recently. A guard was at the gate of the facility. He was charming and efficient, but on in years and far from physically imposing. He was also unarmed.

Here's what stayed with me. The firm has an extremely sensitive product. It is a potential target for terrorists. Hundreds of thousands of people could be affected.

And they've put Uncle Bob at the gate.

This is a textbook example of superficial action. On paper, the organization can note that the gate has a guard. That conjures the vision of a strapping former Marine or Israeli commando. In reality, they've got a friendly fellow who'd be lucky to get the names of the terrorists before they pushed past him or, more likely, hit him with their car. It's not his fault. His employer has chosen to take superficial action.

Even worse news: This is, by all accounts, one of the better run outfits in the industry.