Right or Wrong, Do Something!

TOPICs: DECISION MAKING | LEADERSHIP SKILLS

Right or Wrong, Do Something!

“He who hesitates is lost.” “You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.” “Hesitation allows the moment to pass and the opportunity to be lost.” Thanks to the internet it was easy to find quotes about the dangers of hesitant decision making. In today’s fast moving world, the costs of inaction are greater than ever.

You are in a leadership role because you have talents and knowledge which are greater than your subordinates. That may not be true everywhere, but it is true in our company. As we have discussed many times, a leader’s greatest enemy is fear; his own fear. It was a year ago when I wrote a blog installment titled, “Are You Proactive or Reactive?” Yet nearly every day I watch members of our leadership team struggle with proactivity, and I can’t help but wonder what it is that people fear?

We are not a company which deals harshly with mistakes, unless those mistakes result from laziness or become repetitive. We are a company where help is always available from the General Manager and myself, but it needs to be requested. We are a company which celebrates new ideas and encourages initiative. The formula for effective problem solving has been discussed, written about and taught in a formal class setting. Yet time and time again progress only comes after repeated nudges, reminders and questions from top management.

Maybe large companies can get by with cumbersome decision making procedures but that is not the case in small companies – and that is one of the things I love about running a small company. I find it exhilarating to make a decision in the morning which pays dividends that afternoon! Do I fear decision making? I do not. I am confident that even when a decision proves faulty I am able to recover rapidly by evaluating what went wrong then making another decision or two.

Just to make sure we are all on the same page, here are the basics of our expectations:



• Be sure you understand what is being asked of you
• Agree on a deadline
• Ask for help when you need it
• Report obstacles as soon as you become aware of them
• Provide progress reports
• Meet your deadline
• Present work you are proud of and believe in

Whether or not your conclusions and suggestions are fully accepted is immaterial. I can almost guarantee that you will be challenged, because the best decisions result from honest discussion based on differing opinions. The ultimate decision will be better because it combines the best of diverse ideas. Believe me, it is better to be part of a great decision than to be the sole author of a mediocre one.

No leader gets it right every time. But people who can’t seem to get started fail 100% of the time. You have been entrusted with decision making authority and responsibility for a reason. Take risks, overcome your fears and by all means, do something!