During the 2nd World War, the use of submarines to torpedo enemy ships was a pretty effective tactic as detection of submarines and incoming torpedoes were difficult then (sonar for submarine detection was new and not very advanced)
The only means available to ships then was to post sailors on the front deck to act as look outs for submarines and torpedoes.
On one instance, a ship was torpedoed because the sailor tasked to do submarine watch on night shift fell asleep on his watch. But because he was one of the least affected by the blast because of his position on the front deck, he ended up going round helping to save other sailors who were sleeping below deck when the ship was torpedoed. The other sailors who were asleep that he saved were very appreciative of his effort and recommended him for a 'hero's medal' and he was subsequently awarded one.
However, people who knew that he was the one who was on submarine watch when the ship was attacked questioned the award and said that he should not be awarded the medal because the ship was torpedoed because of he 'fell asleep' on his watch. His 'heroic act' would not have been necessary if he had not fallen asleep on his job in the first place!
People management schools since then had used it as a case example of bad management practice when managers with bad judgement (or low awareness) reward people for fixing a problem that was caused by them in the first place.
CCK's comment: the award of the medal to that sailor may make him look good to people who were sleeping and did not know that he was the man on watch duty who fell asleep on his job. But to people who knew about his failure on his job, he was not deserving of it. The difference is information and awareness (Level 2 of '3 Levels of Human Development').
Just because one piece of information were witheld from you or you miss it, you may end up with a very different impression. That is why it is important to remember the 'elephant and blindmen' fable...
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