Errors of Judgement
The bagpipe world has been buzzing for a couple of weeks now: first there was the pipes|drums story about the RSPBA barring overseas adjudicators. If you read everything there is to read, you come away with the clear sense that an injustice has been done. This was a very bad decision by the RSPBA, an error in judgement. It is clear that the RSPBA is trying to uphold a policy that has not previously been enforced, without notice to those affected, and without any chance of appeal, or any real discussion.

The second major story is the sad story reported in the Glasgow Herald after first being broken on pipes|drums about the likely scaling down of the Strathclyde Police Pipe Band. In the face of operational challenges——policing Glasgow & region!——they are winding up some of the traditional roles of a unit that has served the region for well over 100 years. Seems short-sighted to me, and the stories all talk about how the serving police officers in the band don't really have an idea what is coming, what their jobs will be like, or what plans might be for the band. The operational decisions seems to be made without the involvement of those most affected. That seems to be another error in judgement.

I am no stranger to errors in judgement, having made many myself. In fact, in the past week, I made a rather large error in judgement, which has adversely affected one long-time friend, and had an unsettling and disconcerting effect on a group of people that includes both friends and acquaintances I respect, and whose work I admire. What seemed like a bit of a wind-up, a short-term laugh, was taken hard, and seriously. It's a bit like sticking your foot out to trip a friend on the way home from the pub, and having them fall and scrape their head on a wall [no, I've never done that]. You can argue about what you hoped for, or what the intent was, or anything else, but it doesn't change the outcome, and it doesn't lessen the responsibility. I feel dreadful about the situation, and know that others are likely still upset. The apology has been made. It struck me that there is a relationship to these other errors of judgement.

My own [large] error happened because I let "the game" or the "sport" get in front of the people. I failed to fully consider how this would affect people I value, and in so doing, I let them down, and me too.

The RSPBA and the senior management of the Strathcylde Police are also putting process and sport in front of people. The RSPBA officials, including all the Scottish adjudicators [who could easily sort this with a boycott of judging], need to examine how the decision affects the PEOPLE who adjudicate. These are not names on a list. These are individuals who have committed many summers, and much of their own money to giving the RSPBA an international panel, and whose very presence gives the "World Championship" a legitimacy that it wouldn't otherwise have. The RSPBA needs to pick up the phone, talk to the people, come up with a solution, and make this right.

The Strathclyde Police may be a different matter. What I call an error in judgement someone else might call "more effective police management." The real error here is that the decisions seem to be made with not the people in view, but as a management/admin exercise. The losses in morale, retention, trust and public relations may not show up on the org chart or the financial report, but they will be a cost to deal with for many years, if this goes through.

At the end of the day, it's not easy to face up to dropping the ball, but it's a lot better than pretending you never had it, and it's much more respectful of the people you play with.