Good Leadership Drives an Imperfect Decision

This is the eleventh Blog in a series regarding the state of leadership in America. Good leaders at all levels and segments of our society, recognize that they have a responsibility to establish an environment and culture that become the generators of invention, innovation, and informed decision-making. Good leaders don’t just make the decisions, they make the decisions better. Leaders are the catalysts who bring divergent points of view to the table for discussion, who ensure that all interests are represented, and who define the issues and set the parameters for the decisions to be formulated. From this crucible, there will emerge the ingredients for an informed decision. How these ingredients are blended together by the leader will determine if a consensus can be reached. Good leaders understand that each person or group at the table supports their own “perfect” proposals on the issues and argue for adoption with only minor modifications. From each of their perspectives, they believe that their proposals represent the perfect solution, the right decision. Good leaders realize that any absolutist stance is the precursor of gridlock and paralysis. It takes skillful leaders to restate the objective and convince everyone that there are no perfect plans or decisions. The question is how much imperfection is each person or group willing to accept; how much compromise is everyone willing to engage in to put the good of the many above the good of the few. The role of the leader is to work with all involved to find the point that balances reality with the idealism of any proclaimed perfect decision. Of paramount importance is that leaders must thoroughly review the competing perfect proposals and make the tough, unambiguous decisions required to move the organization, the country forward. Failure to do this will perpetuate the internal squabbling and encourage opponents to find ways to scuttle the entire process, consciously or subconsciously. When dialogue and debate fail to bring consensus, the leader must take command and reinvigorate the process with a sense of urgency to drive to the best possible imperfect decision for the greater good. This applies to government, business, Wall Street, school boards and so forth. Democracy is by its very nature messy and imperfect as it struggles to respect and consider all opinions. But, doing nothing is not an option in a world that is constantly changing and generating new and increasingly complex issues that must be deal with if America is to remain the preeminent nation in the world.