There is a legend about a horse called the Trojan horse. The story takes place in ancient Turkey and describes a war between the Greeks and Trojans. According to the story, the Greeks had besieged the city of Troy for over 10 years but were unable to penetrate the walls of the city, so a sneak attack was planned. A giant wooden horse was pushed to the gate of the city and left as a gift from the Greek people while Greek soldiers were seen retreating. Against warnings, the jubilant citizens of Troy pulled the “gift horse” inside the city gates. As the Trojans slept, Greek warriors who were hidden in the hollow belly of the horse came out, opened the gates of Troy and allowed the returning Greek army to enter the city and win the war.
Other legends tell of similar tricky techniques. Such schemes are not uncommon on construction worksites.
It’s what’s inside
One of my college professors told our management class it is the attitude and mindset inside a person that comes out in the form of behavior. On a recent project, a construction manager had a blowout over workers who appeared to be idle. He screamed and cursed at them without knowing the full situation. Actually, the crew had shut down their work because they had stop work authority for safety reasons and had requested the foreman get the site engineer to come to the task area. What was thought to be a simple valve removal task could have turned into a nightmare had the crew not spotted a hazardous design flaw. While still screaming, the construction manager heard the lead engineer say if it weren’t for the crew, the whole unit may have blown up. It seems the drawings the crew was working from were for another unit and another process design. Thankfully, the crew workers ignored their leader’s behavior and did what was right. These workers were not fooled or influenced by the formidable manager with a skewed mindset.
Trick or treat?
My high school mascot was the Trojans and the Palladium was our yearbook. We were told the Palladium was revered as a pledge of safety and protection for Troy. We were just teenagers then and believed most of what we were told. But if the Trojans were fooled by the Greeks with a wooden horse, that certainly was not a safety net but rather a trick of great deception. In retrospect, perhaps our school mascot should have been named the Greeks because they had the right strategy for winning the war.
Tricks of all kinds show up on construction jobs. I once witnessed a situation on a mega-sized dam project where one craft group on the project sabotaged other craft groups on the same project allegedly because the other groups were being paid more. Jealousy was aflame! The civil group that prepared the work area for foundations and walls was not paid as well as the mechanical groups. Since the civil workers could not alter their contract agreements with the owner, they sabotaged the work to show their disdain.
Deception at your doorstep
Regardless of what people say, their actions speak louder. Abe Lincoln once said, “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.” A gift horse may never show up at your gate, and remember to be careful if one does. Contrary to old myths, the Trojans should have looked their gift horse in the mouth. When something looks too good to be true, it likely is. Prudent construction leaders don’t take hearsay or rumors as the gospel truth; they check things out. On projects, rumors and gossip abound, but there are always at least two sides to every situation. Don’t fall for an incomplete examination of a situation. Lives, limbs and families are at risk.
Even in the technical world, the term “Trojan horse” is known as a trick to infiltrate computers with malware causing the user to think it is OK to use. The result can be disastrous. So when a good-looking horse shows up at your gate, your plant or your computer, be sure to look it in the mouth before you invite it in. It could be a gift or a devious trick.
For more information, contact HASC Customer Relations at (281) 476-9900, Ext. 310 or visit www.hasc.com.
