We talked about the reality that running Santa Fe would mean they would be accountable for the performance of their divisions. No more sitting in the cozy chiefs’ quarters and letting the department head or division officer explain to the captain why things had gone wrong. Later, I would call this “eyeball accountability.” It would mean being intimately involved—physically present in most cases—in the operations of the ship and in each activity. The chiefs’ enthusiasm waned noticeably. Some could see this would change the way they would have to think about their position: being the chief would
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