The Perils of Avoiding the Limelight

There's a cautionary tale for federal agency chiefs in the New York Times report today on the performance of Richard E. Stickler, head of the Mine Safety and Health Administration, during the response to the collapse of the Crandall Canyon Mine in Utah. The story says that Stickler is likely to face a grilling on Capitol Hill over the effort to rescue trapped miners, but he really seems to have done only one thing wrong: allowed the bombastic -- and, frankly, a little strange -- owner of the mine, Robert E. Murray, to hog the limelight. Murray, whose updates both confused the public and alienated miners' families, became the de facto voice of the response, with Stickler trailing in his wake.

The message is that even if you're the type of person who's disinclined to take center stage -- and Stickler is described in the Times piece as a "a thoughtful, bookish, behind-the-scenes man" -- at times of crisis, you'd better be prepared to step into the spotlight and be a voice of calm reassurance. And, of course, you'd also better be able to show your response efforts are swift and effective.