In our ongoing discussion regarding decision-making in leadership, we have explored the difference between that which is ultimately good or just currently popular and also discussed the need to assess whether a decision under consideration is really valuable or simply cheap/inexpensive.
As we continue to review questions that we can ask when pondering a course of action, this week we will look at the value of assessing whether a choice is a smart investment or just a quick (hasty) fix.
Smart vs. hasty? …this set of countervailing options speaks directly to the pressure in our US business climate which places an extraordinary burden on large company leaders to produce short-term quarterly results year after year. Every 90 days the stock market requires greater and greater performance – a mode of operation that trickles down to even smaller companies due to the proliferation of “lessons” promulgated through business schools and business-related periodicals.
The result can be a climate that rewards a quick-fix mentality rather than longer-term investment-based decisions.
In life itself, as well as business, there can be a temptation to pursue that which is quick and/or hasty as opposed to choices that take a long-term “investment” approach. Yet, as we look back over the decisions we have made, we usually realize in retrospect that quick and hasty were often not the best approach!
As you ponder this topic, what are your thoughts? When is quick and hasty the best choice? What makes “investing” an appropriate consideration?
The answers to these questions can have a lasting impact – for both the leader and for all who are affected by the leader’s decision(s).