Leading at Light Speed is a groundbreaking leadership book by Eric Douglas describing the 10 Quantum Leaps which build trust, spark innovation, and create a high-performing organization. In Chapter 4 Eric discusses the Point of Resolve.
“The point of resolve” is the moment when an individual or a group summons up the will to make a tough decision. The duality lies with the risk of losing it all, or gaining everything.. But at some point the door opens, you make the decision, and suddenly it’s behind you. Ahead of you are the consequences. But for the moment, you are at the point of resolve.
When it comes time to make difficult decisions, hundreds of issues come into play.. The swirl can confuse us. The process can feel out of control. But at some point, we reach a point of resolve. Once you break through, you’re past the moment of resolve and into implementation mode. There’s no turning back.
To be a valuable leader, you must enlighten others about these moments of decision.. People need to know you’ve made a tough decision, that you’ve committed to a course of action, and that there’s no turning back. People look for signs of resolve in their leaders – it builds trust to know that their leaders are willing to make tough stands.
Once the decision is made, there’s a critical ground rule that comes into play: Everyone needs to stand united in supporting the decision, even if you opposed it earlier. It’s mandatory the ground rule be clear: once the decision is made, we all stand in support of it.. Individuals who want to lead successfully and build trust must put this ground rule into effect and make no room for exceptions..
Communicate the Results
At some point, the decision is made. The next step is telling people the results and explaining the rationales behind the decision. Surprisingly, this is where a lot of decision processes break down. You may have finished, but others are still unaware.. A complex choice affects a variety of people.. It’s not often where one can see people mistakenly communicated a choice too broadly.. On the other hand, I’ve seen countless examples of failing to let key people know what happened.
Don’t forget to publicly recognize everyone involved. Small tokens of appreciation – a team t-shirt, a team photo– are important symbols of having participated in an important decision. Smaller gestures can symbolize greater meanings that allow people to bridge gaps and build trust.
Once the decision is made, there’s one more thing you should do. You should gather together the individuals involved and collaborate with them on how well the decision was managed. What worked well? In addition, how could we manage it more effectively the next time around? This feedback may seem unnecessary – but believe me, you will glean things that can help you improve all your future decision processes.
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