It’s important for leaders to make well-informed, wise decisions. But when time is of the essence, it’s also crucial to know when it’s time to stop talking and start acting.
Often, the biggest roadblock to execution is the search for consensus. Leaders spend valuable time and money trying to get everyone on board with a decision, and end up stalled in a state of extended discussion. Sometimes, the job of an entrepreneur, manager or CEO is to say, “We’re taking this fork in the road, for better or worse, and it’s on my head.”
There is a leadership style – benevolent dictator – that combines an appreciation for consensus and the input of the team with the ability to recognize when debate, conversation and analysis can’t take you any further.
When you’re an entrepreneur and a leader, make-or-break decisions are made on a daily basis. A benevolent dictator can move faster than the competition and save time, money and energy to capitalize on opportunities. You absolutely respect the people on your team, but you also realize the point when talking must end and the decision must be made.
Learn to make “battlefield” decisions
Being a leader in business is somewhat like being a commander on a battlefield – things are happening quickly, and many of them are outside your control.
As CEO of OfficeMax, I didn’t have the luxury of time to build consensus and sway everyone over to my position. It wasn’t that my decisions were always better, I simply knew that a decision had to be made and there wasn’t time for debate. I could quickly maneuver around flaws in the decision if I was wrong, provided I kept everyone focused on the end game and made adjustments as we moved forward.
“Ready, aim, fire” attitude
My method for making difficult choices is to follow the time-tested formula of ready, aim, fire; take emotion out of the equation, gather the facts, decide where I want to go and determine how to get there.
After OfficeMax’s first year, we’d grown nicely and were operating stores in Ohio, New York and Michigan. We’d done so with no real casualties and just a few wounds. The key to that first year’s success was our ability to make on-the-run decisions rather than conduct lengthy analysis that would have meant waiting weeks – if not months – before taking the next step.
I realized that one runs a business with the head, the heart and the gut. On a good day, all three kicked in. At other times, I would rely on my heart or gut to make the right move.
Never having to say you’re sorry
The benevolent dictator style may sound autocratic at first, but when the emphasis is on the benevolent portion, meaning you’re doing what is right for the greater good, the odds for success are in your favor.
I always made it clear to my employees how much I appreciated and valued them. During high-stress periods, I would explain, “The next few days are critical for us, so if I ask for something, infer that I said ‘please,’ and when you do it, know that I mean ‘thank you.’”
Avoid the bull
People are willing to do just about anything for their leaders as long as the leader is honest. Most of my team members accepted the ground rules that came along with my being a benevolent dictator. They understood that it meant there would be situations where I couldn’t open up a decision for debate, or when I would have to rein in a discussion. Most of them appreciated this directness because they respected and understood that we needed to forge ahead quickly.
Beware the desire for zero risk
Analyzing data and making informed decisions is good. The problems start when analysis is used as a crutch or to avoid pulling the trigger. You begin second-guessing yourself and giving more and more thought to “what ifs.” Before you know it, you’ve lost the competitive advantage of speed.
Since you’ll never be 100 percent guaranteed to succeed, you’ll be stuck studying, researching and consensus-building in a circular fashion. At that point, analysis will become an excuse for continued delays and can doom a project from ever getting off the ground. You must always be moving forward; there’s no such thing as a pause button or instant replay in business.
Sleep on it
There will be decisions that require analysis and deep thinking. Often, the best way to work out these problems is to put your subconscious to work.
I had read a lot about subconscious and subliminal thinking. Soon after launching OfficeMax, I started thinking about some of my biggest challenges right before going to bed. I would wake up after four or five hours and presto – I would have answers, or at least possible answers. Doing this allowed me to hit the ground running every morning.
Make decisions for the love of the company
When you do what is right for the company, not just to please this or that group, you’re halfway to making your undertaking work. All things being equal, you will not only survive, but also succeed.
Decisions aren’t supposed to be easy, especially for leaders. To make your move, you must listen and learn, study the consequences of your decisions from all perspectives – short-term, intermediate-term, and long-term – and learn to do so quickly and effectively. As time goes by, you’ll become better and more comfortable with making smart decisions.
