Orange, CA – August 19: Nurse Mary Ezzat prepares to administers a Pfizer COVID-19 booster shot to … [+]
Friday’s decision by a Food and Drug Administration advisory committee to not approve a plan to start giving booster shots of the Pfizer vaccine to people 16 years or older is the latest example for business leaders about the dangers of publicizing deadlines to address crisis situations.
Setting deadlines, of course, is necessary to help meet internal goals and objectives and ensure that a crisis is resolved and ends as soon as possible. The danger comes when organizations decide to make the deadlines public, thereby setting themselves up for failure when they miss—for whatever reason—those target dates.
Setback For Biden
The panel’s 16-2 vote against the booster plan is a setback to the Biden administration which last month promised to rollout a Covid booster vaccination program for the general public on September 20. Instead, Bloomberg reported, “the panel voted 18-0 in favor of an emergency-use authorization — a more limited clearance than a full approval — for people 65 and older or individuals at high risk of severe Covid-19.”
Aftermath Of August Afghan Deadline
Last month, President Joe Biden announced he would not change his decision to withdraw all U.S. combat troops from Afghanistan by August 31. As I wrote in an earlier post, “Foreign leaders and members of his own party disagreed with the deadline and expressed concerns the fast-approaching date did not allow enough time to evacuate from that country all Americans and citizens of other nations in a peaceful and orderly manner.”
The chaos that followed at the Kabul airport seemed to validate the concerns of Biden’s critics.
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Potential Ammunition For Vaccination Foes
Today’s decision about booster shots could provide new ammunition to vaccination opponents and give currency to allegations that the Biden administration is moving too quickly in urging all Americans to get vaccinated.
Advice For Business Leaders
Pay Close Attention
Corporate executives should pay close attention to how today’s chapter in the coronavirus crisis plays out. The failure to meet publicly stated deadlines in a crisis—no matter who or what is to blame — can damage a person’s or organization’s image and credibility, and call into question their ability and expertise to address a crisis strategically, effectively and efficiently.
Don’t Rely On Anything You Can Control
Nicholas B. Creel is a professor of business law and ethics at Georgia College and State University. He said, “The decision today should illustrate to all business leaders that, regardless of how much power you have, there’s still going to be things that are out of your control. As such, it’s generally a good idea not to overly rely on anything you can’t contol the outcome of.”
Creel observed that, “… this illustrates the need to be nimble in times of crisis and to make contingency plans for when things don’t go your way.
