"Will someone please make a decision" (add exclamation marks as needed)

The following is the original and the rewrite can be found by clicking here.

When I say "Will someone please make a decision", I am by no means suggesting that you should defer your destiny to someone else, diminish the need to take "the bull by the horns", not take ownership for your life, or any other pithy saying that reminds us it's our life - Our responsibility to grab on tightly and enjoy with gusto!

It's more directed to that somewhat important saying that reminds us that, "To know how to be a good leader, you need to know how to be a good follower". 

As someone who has been on both sides of this fence, I want to take a moment and offer a thought or two from the perspective of the follower... you know, the one asked to make it happen or follow the grand plan; the one who is looking to their leader to set a direction that can be executed on. And this brings us back to that simple request, "Will someone please make a decision"; admittedly sometimes also taking the form of a frazzled request, a statement, an urgent statement, a strongly worded statement or a wild eyed demand.

Where does this request come from? The simple answer is, "Nothing can get done without a decision being made"

For a follower (a doer, an executor, the fix it guy), this makes "needing a decision" very high on the list for getting things done; arguably its number one. There is an understanding that a process is required for decision making, that not all decisions are easy ones, and some decisions require time to make. However, this is not the reason you hear the words "will someone please make a decision" uttered. (With the appropriate number of exclamation marks added.)

In my experience, the reason for uttering these famous words is more often than not a result of (or combination of) the following:

• There is no defined owner for the decision.
• The decision making process has become more important than the actual decision.
• The request for more information is never ending.
• "Decision making" is viewed in absolute terms of right or wrong and not one of "degrees".
• The culture does not encourage risk, empowerment or ownership.
• There just seems to be too many people involved.
• Lack of communication and transparency regarding what is happening.
• There is a belief of "being safe", as you can't be wrong if you do not make a decision.

All these points made from the perspective of a "follower".

And this weaves us back to the saying, "To know how to be a good leader, you need to know how to be a good follower".  As a leader, appreciating the perspective of the follower, you can work to remove those barriers that are impacting your team's ability to get things done.

So with that said, every so often take a trip down memory lane and remember those times you found yourself uttering the words "will someone please make a decision" with flair... then ask yourself, "Is there someone on my team who may be saying the same thing?" If so, remember you can make some changes regarding that... after all you are the leader.

And if you are a follower... soon enough you may find yourself as the leader, so make sure you are taking good notes.

iamgpe

The conviction of quality... an aspect of character.

Recently, I was reminded of the conviction of quality as I worked on a somewhat involved presentation that brought audio, video and graphics together... it was not a difficult exercise but it was laborious and at times a little "mind numbing."  

The presentation was spot on and was looking good until it was pointed out that one of the graphics had an indentation error; an error I might add that had escaped notice in earlier iterations. An error not easily fixed, that would involve three hours of deconstruction, and offer up mind numbing re-editing - An error that no one would notice, and even if they did, at no level did it impacted the message.

And so entered my veiled rationalizations. 

Qual·i·ty  (ˈkwä-lə-tē) is one of those words that offers two meanings where one is reflective and entwined with the other: a characteristic or feature that someone or something has and a high level of value or excellence - Inevitably leading you to ask the question, "Is my character one of excellence?" 

As I worked through my small presentation issue, a number of aspects with quality came to the forefront for me - 

• Excellence is something you are forever striving for and there is an understanding that you will become better with time, experience, and continued input.
• Mistakes will be made, and we inherently know that something can always be done better; if however you can look yourself in the mirror with the knowledge you did your best, then improvement is for another day.
•  If you find a mistake you need to fix it as quickly as you can; a knowable mistake is not reflective of quality.
• Mistakes lead to improvement, so learn from them, don't make them again, and move on.

In the end, I grumbled a little bit and then spent three hours of deconstruction and mind numbing re-editing to fix the indentation error. For me, it reinforced my conviction of quality, and as you may suspect, it made for an even better presentation. 

In the end, the small indentation error did matter, and I am better for it.

iamgpe

"Keep fighting the good fight"... it was the only advice I had.

I just got back from visiting one of my favourite uncles who has recently been diagnosed with stage IV small cell lung carcinoma (colourfully captured in the attached photograph) . For those not familiar with this particular cancer, it is one of the more aggressive types with an extremely low survival rate (2% after five years) and is strongly associated with smoking; my uncle, his family and those around him are bracing for battle, with chemotherapy being the first salvo.

As we parted, shaking hands, hugging, and offering all those words of encouragement that weave themselves into these situations, I looked at my uncle and said, "Keep fighting the good fight". For me, it seemed to be the only advice I had to give, and maybe, the only real advice there is to give.

A phrase with roots in Christianity, "fight the good fight" was the "call to spread the faith" and was sometimes very much a literal activity - Nowadays, the phase more often than not is used to recognize, encourage and offer support for the difficult challenges that LIFE can bring our way. And more importantly I believe, it reminds of us of those traits that we can muster to help us overcome great adversity and accomplish wonderful things!

• Courage
• Resourcefulness
• Wholeheartedness
• Tenacity
• Thoughtfulness
• Fortitude
• Strength
• Honor
• Respect
• Honesty
• Love

All coming out of that simple word... "Good". 

Originally offered as advice, I think it is truly more of a mantra that reminds us of who we are, what we are made of, and what we can accomplish under the most difficult of situations. And when the "good fight" is over and the dust has settled, we can hold your heads high and show others how it is done.

So whatever your challenges, be them big or small, " keep fighting the good fight"...  I know that is what my uncle is doing.

iamgpe.