More often than not, we have to make decisions with less-than-perfect information or insight. That’s just life, especially as a leader. The biggest common denominator of great leaders and great leadership teams is the ability to make good decisions with less-than-perfect information.
Years ago my wife volunteered me as an umpire for my daughter’s softball league. “What possessed you to volunteer me?” I asked. “I don’t know the first thing about being an umpire”. “Not to worry”, was her quick reply, “The league is desperate for umpires and besides, I signed you up for umpire class.” Yes, there’s a class for umpires who call the games played by 9 year-old girls. I was somewhat reassured. “After all”, I thought, “how hard can it be to make the call?”
The single most embarrassing lesson I’ve ever learned in my whole business life came when I found out my employees had nicknamed me “Hurricane Ken”.
A few years ago, Gino Wickman shared his Ten Commandments of Good Decision Making in his EBook, “Decide! The One Common Denominator of All Great Leaders.” Each commandment is a gem but the one that resonates with me most is: “Thou Shalt Not Rule by Consensus”.
A few years ago, a friend of ours was given the task of diagnosing and fixing defects in the first version of a huge-brand consumer electronics product. The product’s initial launch had been an embarrassment. Worse, since it was first sold at Christmas and the defects didn’t become apparent for several months, there was very little time to get things fixed for the next holiday selling season.
I found a new way to help teams reach significant breakthroughs in a recent session, and it relates to my essay on “Fear Junction”. This was a story I told in one of my newsletters about the electrician who told the fable – not of a real electrical switch box – but of a real and personal daily decision point – where we must choose to be open, candid and honest – or miss the chance to do so.
