The most effective leaders believe in involving people in decisions that affect them. The best thinking of a group of smart people should yield a better decision than the best thinking of one.
Someone is in charge of the entire organization. So it goes throughout the organization with individuals being in-charge/accountable for specific parts of the organization. Whatever the process used for making a specific decision someone is accountable for the decision.
I’m a big fan of dialogue and too many decisions get made based on what is best for one part of the organization rather than what is best for the organization overall.
I know and respect a large list of people who are in-charge. Yesterday one of them made a decision. It was a critically important decision for the business. He has the ultimate accountability for the organization and he made the decision after a collaborative group had worked on the issue.
His decision was a good one that had needed to be made quickly. He explained his reasoning after which one of the legendary whiners said, “Why is this being done without the groups involvement?” His simple and condensed answer, “Because I said so.”
I used to hate it when Dad said those words but I knew that what they meant was end of discussion now let’s move on.
Collaboration, dialogue and consensus are important. Then a decision gets made and some individual is accountable for that decision. Leaders make decisions and accept accountability. Smart leaders get input from the right people before making decisions. Still, whether CEO, COO, SR. VP of Sales, Marketing, School Principle or Detective Lieutenant, the person in charge is accountable for the decision.
“Because I said so” may ruffle some feathers. Yesterday it was a statement of accountability and the right thing at the right time. I’m the Outsider and that’s what I think.
