Last week, I read where one of the biggest responsibilities we have as leaders is making decisions and accepting the consequences. Being a leader is quite different from a Project Manager or Supervisor in that we’re not only executing the plan but often also have responsibility for creating it.
Lemon & Speedbump Decisions
“Life gives lemons to good people, bad people, old people, all people, but we don’t have to suck on them!” – Max Lucado
One thing we all can agree on is that “lemons” are a part of life. Nothing goes smoothly forever. Invariably, there are a few speedbumps that require us to navigate around or over them.
Speedbumps may seem a little easier than lemons in that you generally can proceed slowly (a soft decision) and get back on your original path. On the other hand, lemons require a hard decision. You may change direction (make lemonade) or suffer the consequences (sour experience).
And as leaders, whatever actions we take when either speedbumps or lemons appear will offer similar consequences for those who are part of our journey.
“When life gives us lemons, make lemonade!” – Anonymous
& Chip Decisions
I’m continuously looking for tools that can help me to grow as a leader. Last week, I invested in a short course by Seth Godin, “The Secret to Better Decisions: Stop Hoarding Chips.” It focuses on the impact of decisions and their cost (that aspect that we always fear). In addition to the helpful information, Seth also brings a cynical but direct method to his communications that I appreciate.
& Asset Decisions
The course also reminded me of how rewarding the role HL Group plays is in helping organizations make better decisions. Our mobilePLUS solution provides reliable information to organizations that allow them to manage their investments better, whether in asset acquisition or utilization.
While we don’t manage the internal execution for their investments, we do contribute to the quality of the information they have for their decisions. And that makes things easier when they encounter their own lemons and speedbumps.
How do you navigate your lemons and speedbumps? What chip decisions do you face?
