LEADERSHIP: BASIC PRINCIPLES. . .PART V

We have two more ‘Basic Principles’ to explore; today we will focus on the sixth Principle:

When deciding, Be Humble: I cannot begin to count the number of times my mother admonished me to ‘be humble.’ What does this mean, this ‘be humble’? The dictionary gives us some guidance. As a transitive verb it means ‘to make meek’ and ‘meek’ means ‘to be humbly patient.’ Well, I did note that the dictionary did provide ‘some guidance’ not a clear destination. I have interpreted my mother’s admonishment to mean: ‘don’t be arrogant, or boastful, or pride-full – hold your ego in check.’ Consider if you will, gentle reader, that humble decision-making requires the leader to be intentionally and purpose-fully reflective. To be more of a gradualist than a quick-hitter when it comes to making certain decisions. This leader will not fear ‘trial and error.’ This leader seeks out and heeds a diversity of feedback; the belief is that others have experience, wisdom and insights that he/she lacks (this is where holding one’s ego in check is crucial). This leader is not afraid of being influenced by the other(s) for this leader is not wedded to ‘surety.’

This leader seeks to avoid committing to a path of action too early; this leader is more response-able than reactive (I realize that there are times when being reactive is more important than being response-able – ask any fire fighter); I am thinking again of the time taken by James Burke and his colleagues regarding the intervention they needed to make in response to the Tylenol poisonings (talk about being response-able and not reactive). Once a path is determined a commitment to being flexible is put in place; ‘things change’ is not just a pretty phrase.

For the past forty years, I have had the privilege and opportunity to be of service to many physicians and I have learned a great deal as I have observed them and as I have engaged them in searching conversations. Rarely do they have a personal stake in their treatment decisions. On the other hand, they always have a personal stake in the solutions they seek. This also means that they are flexible and will adjust treatment plans along the way.

The great physicians are ‘humble’ – they are not ego-driven. They practice, among other things, ‘reasoned procrastination and thoughtful decision-staggering.’ These might also serve all leaders well. Both of these challenge the image of the ‘powerful, decisive leader’ who stays the course (the one who, for example, values ‘efficiency, effectiveness, and surety’ to the extent that they become rigid). ‘Reasoned Procrastination’ enables the leader to gather more information which almost always surfaces from within the white-waters of change that are carrying along the leader and those who follow. ‘Reasoned Procrastination’ also provides time for some issues to resolve themselves. ‘Thoughtful Decision-Staggering’ opens pathways and options that will probably not appear if a decision is quickly taken and implemented (I cannot recall how many times I have been invited in to help folks ‘fix’ a challenge that emerged as a direct result of the quick-acting decision being made). This way of deciding also provides the leader more time to seek the wisdom of a number of others (the person who uses the broom might actually know the best type of broom to purchase); I am thinking of the Harley-Davidson turn-around during the 1980s. They were, at one time, making the worst motor cycle in the world (hard to believe); the new CEO charged the line-workers to create the system that would enable them to make the best motor cycles in the world – they took their time and they did create the system to do so; and then they did so.

Both of these require experience and reflection and learning. For the leader, who by his or her role, is charged with making decisions, my mother’s admonishment might serve them well: ‘be humble.’