Continuing from part 1 …
Think Long-Term
If an airplane is in trouble, it is common sense for the pilot to land as soon as practical. Despite the urgency, there are questions to consider that will make or break the outcome. What is my fuel state? What is the nearest field that can appropriately handle the aircraft emergency? How far to the ideal airport? What is the weather like at the intended landing airport?
So often, it is easy to be too caught up with the urgent priorities of the present while all but forgetting the long-term. Executing a flawed business plan perfectly will still assure the eventual demise of any enterprise. Leaders must consider questions like the following:
- Where will our current organizational behavior lead?
- What changes are needed to arrive at the preferred destination?
- What business are we really in … long-term?
- How should the firm change to meet fickle consumer demands?
- How should we shape internal succession plans?
- How are we educating and growing the up-and-coming leaders to meet their future challenges?
Of course, there are many more questions as well. The long-term may seem far away but it is as or more important than the present for the leader. Chances are that your employees do their best work in the present. It is your job as a leader to devote enough time to future work.
Be Decisive
Prescribing a remedy for an aircraft emergency requires making consistent and timely decisions. A pilot can only make decisions based on what is seen, heard and felt (e.g., airframe vibrations, extra weight on the flight controls, etc.). In many cases, a wing-man can take a look at crippled airplane to give any more data. Otherwise, it is time to analyze the problem and move toward a solution.
Several years ago, when an engine fire indicator came on in the F-4 I was flying, I immediately turned directly toward the home airport. This sounds basic and yet many a student pilot has wasted precious minutes in a sim by working through the checklist before turning the airplane toward a suitable landing patch.
Decision-making is an obvious skill that any successful business person will have. A wise leadership instructor once said, “Intent counts for more than technique.” His point was to make timely decisions for the good of the organization. The only people who have 100% of the data for a decision are historians (and that might even be debatable). Don’t overly labor on a decision: Make it. It is guaranteed you will learn something from it if you are open. This is particularly true if the choice turns out to be a blunder. If you are not making very many decisions, you are likely not learning much. Stay aligned with mission, vision, and values but, by all means, make a decision.
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