Deciding means exposing oneself, showing a side of oneself that is perhaps not in phase with what one wants to project, and finally accepting to displease a little or a lot…
Certain theories of modern ‘managerial marketing’ seem to indicate that one must be inclusive, tolerant, conciliatory, not to say soft, to please the greatest number of people and, above all, not to offend anyone. This would have been applied ages ago in most companies if the recipe were so simple to implement…
Let there be no mistake about it: it is of course necessary to include, to accept mistakes, to consider contrary or even opposing opinions: it is thanks to this that a form of humanity can endure in companies and that the development of everyone is possible.
But not deciding or deciding too late on the pretext that there are potential ‘opponents’, that some people will be frustrated or that peers will find a flaw in the process, is to pale in comparison with one’s specifications.
Without wishing to point the finger gratuitously at governance, it must be said that most technical regulations and company competences have become completely unreadable. We are either witnessing a dilution of responsibilities to the point where there are no longer any people in charge of anything, or we are seeing that the ‘power’ is concentrated in far too few people.
It seems quite simple to introduce some common sense and accountability concepts:
• Allocate competences where knowledge and the possibility of informed judgement are to be found
• Have a system of decision-making hierarchy that considers the reality on the ground and the financial strength of the company
• To have the possibility of delegating competences to its personnel so that they feel responsible and above all can act
• Concentrate the decision on a limited number of people when it makes sense or when the scope of the decision is very (too) important: you cannot make others bear the responsibility without them being trained and informed
• Do not confuse “information”, “consultation” and “decision” as is too often the case
• Collective decision-making is certainly interesting, but it does not mean that all the members of the management team decide on everything: everyone must be able to work and decide in their own area of responsibility
• Knowing how to manage exceptions in a pragmatic way with full knowledge of the facts.
These few principles may seem obvious, but all too often we see in practice that this is not the case. How many times have we heard “I’m not competent, I have to ask my boss”: a pillow of laziness? fear of deciding or a casting or governance error?
If we want to consult too much, we lose the very essence of the decision, but not deciding is even worse: the ‘artistic’ vagueness generates frustration and incompetence.
We are certain that circumstances reveal talent, but only if governance is clear, and if innovation, entrepreneurial spirit, and knowledge can be fully expressed and called upon.
Have a good week, good thoughts, and good reading.