The Ethics of Goal Setting
The Ford Pinto Story
For those of you alive in the 1970s, you may remember the Ford Pinto. Debuted in 1970, this small car was cheap to buy and the first of its kind from the Ford Motor Company. It appeared to be successful by all reports until about 1972 when the deaths started piling up. Upon investigation it appeared that the car was prone to catching fire when hit from behind, even in low-speed crashes. What’s very disturbing is that this wasn’t something accidental that occurred; Ford failed numerous safety inspections and knew that the car was likely to catch fire.
Despite this evidence that their poorly-designed fuel tanks made the car unsafe, Ford Motor Company chose to release it anyway. The government's safety standards at the time did not keep them from bringing it to market, even though they knew it was unsafe. Their cost benefit analysis revealed that the redesign would be more expensive than paying the lawsuits that would occur with the inevitable accidents. This negligence is what led to them being the first corporation in history that was charged with murder. The judge on the case awarded the defendant - who suffered burns over 90% of his body and whose driving companion was killed in the accident - $6.6 million in damages due to Ford’s “callous indifference to public safety.” This was just one of many accidents and deaths that occurred in the six or so years the car was on the road before being recalled.
In his book, Measure What Matters, John Doerr tells this story from the angle of goal setting, beginning in 1968 when Ford's Vice President Lee Iacocca set a goal to make a car that weighed under 2,000 pounds and cost less than $2,000. Not only was this a lofty goal, but in an attempt to keep up with foreign-made models he sped up the production timeline, giving them only 1.5 years rather than the standard two to achieve it. To be able to cut costs, cut weight, and cut time, something had to be sacrificed. In this case, they chose safety.
I tell you this story today because every big goal we set our eyes on will include some sacrifice to achieve; big things take time, energy, money, etc. and so there will always be something we have to say no to. Whether it's in your personal life or goals forced upon you by superiors at work, a "get it done at all costs" attitude can easily lead to losing sight of who you are and what really matters. It’s good to know what you’re willing to sacrifice to be able to achieve something, but it’s more important to know what you’re not willing to sacrifice.
Sources:
Check out other related posts
