If clear areas of responsibility and accountability don’t exist, you have the first ingredient in the recipe for a culture of indecision. Making sure the senior team and all their direct reports have well-defined roles and responsibilities that leaders link to rewards and evaluations certainly defines the first step, but it’s just the beginning. TriumphingRead more
Executives tend to be unaware of the feelings—both positive and negative—that their direct reports have about them. Knowledge of the positive emotions feels good, but ignorance of the negative emotions can create a blinder that engenders other problems. Unwittingly, executives condition their people to tell them what they want to hear, even when what theyRead more
Before deciding whether to make the decision alone or to involve others, determine if a decision needs to be made at all. Deciding not to decide should not be equated with indecision, which occurs when a leader should make a decision but opts not to. So how do you know? First, ask yourself whether theRead more
When senior leaders consistently make good decisions, little else matters; when they make bad decisions, nothing else matters. Each time you engage in decision-making, you stand at a pivot—a turning point that will take you in directions that will contribute to your success or demise. After all, a decisive leader who can’t hit the targetRead more
Decisiveness under pressure requires high-ambiguity tolerance. When people tolerate, or even appreciate ambiguity, they demonstrate the ability to synthesize. As we recall from our chemistry classes, synthesis is the production of a substance from simpler materials after a chemical reaction. In high-stakes situations, like an M & A deal, leaders need to serve as theRead more
