One of the keys to leadership development is good problem solving and decision making skills.
The key element of both of those skill sets is the ability to understand what the issue or problem really is.
A few months ago I wrote an article about the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion.
At a time that was essentially the morning after, I suggested that it might be a little too early to place any specific blame and that a good leader would first strive to gather all the facts.
Though I hate to say I told you so, (OK I like it a little) a recent Associated Press article points out why it's so important to gather facts before taking action.
According to the article by Dina Cappiello and Seth Brenstein, the presidential commission appointed to study the mishap found that there is no evidence that British Petroleum made any decision in favor of saving money at the expense of safety.
Does that mean nothing was done wrong? Of course not.
The final investigation report is not due to the president until mid-January.
What is does mean is that a lot of people got themselves worked into a lather over the wrong issue.
For instance, there has been a huge boycott effort by those who rushed to conclusions without waiting to determine the facts.
It is to be expected that some will rush to judgment, sometimes motivated by potential political or monetary gain, sometimes by preconceived ideas, and sometimes just by blissful ignorance.
Leaders must not allow themselves to be motivated by these things.
More importantly, they must not be tempted by quick answers that seem to satisfy a loud group calling for someone's head.
In leadership development programs, young leaders should be given the opportunity to solve problems and make decisions.
A very important aspect of this training is that the leader must understand the consequences of his or her decision.
If they are about to implement a decision or solution that will do harm, or which is not well thought out, then they should be stopped, shown what they were about to do, then sent back to the drawing board.
Now for the hard part.
Leaders must be taught to ignore the noise and concentrate on determining the facts.
If there isn't much noise surrounding the issue, a trainer might even create a little.
I'm not defending British Petroleum here.
If the final investigation reveals fault on their part, they will have to deal with that fact.
But, consider the cost to the company (which is a corporation yes, but is made up of people with families to feed) from actions already taken based on a knee-jerk reaction that assumed they must have done something nefarious.
All the excitement and failure to follow basic problem solving and decision making skills accomplished nothing productive.
Do you jump to conclusions or make considered decisions based on the facts of the situation?
The key element of both of those skill sets is the ability to understand what the issue or problem really is.
A few months ago I wrote an article about the Deepwater Horizon oil rig explosion.
At a time that was essentially the morning after, I suggested that it might be a little too early to place any specific blame and that a good leader would first strive to gather all the facts.
Though I hate to say I told you so, (OK I like it a little) a recent Associated Press article points out why it's so important to gather facts before taking action.
According to the article by Dina Cappiello and Seth Brenstein, the presidential commission appointed to study the mishap found that there is no evidence that British Petroleum made any decision in favor of saving money at the expense of safety.
Does that mean nothing was done wrong? Of course not.
The final investigation report is not due to the president until mid-January.
What is does mean is that a lot of people got themselves worked into a lather over the wrong issue.
For instance, there has been a huge boycott effort by those who rushed to conclusions without waiting to determine the facts.
It is to be expected that some will rush to judgment, sometimes motivated by potential political or monetary gain, sometimes by preconceived ideas, and sometimes just by blissful ignorance.
Leaders must not allow themselves to be motivated by these things.
More importantly, they must not be tempted by quick answers that seem to satisfy a loud group calling for someone's head.
In leadership development programs, young leaders should be given the opportunity to solve problems and make decisions.
A very important aspect of this training is that the leader must understand the consequences of his or her decision.
If they are about to implement a decision or solution that will do harm, or which is not well thought out, then they should be stopped, shown what they were about to do, then sent back to the drawing board.
Now for the hard part.
Leaders must be taught to ignore the noise and concentrate on determining the facts.
If there isn't much noise surrounding the issue, a trainer might even create a little.
I'm not defending British Petroleum here.
If the final investigation reveals fault on their part, they will have to deal with that fact.
But, consider the cost to the company (which is a corporation yes, but is made up of people with families to feed) from actions already taken based on a knee-jerk reaction that assumed they must have done something nefarious.
All the excitement and failure to follow basic problem solving and decision making skills accomplished nothing productive.
Do you jump to conclusions or make considered decisions based on the facts of the situation?
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