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Making
the Difficult – But RIGHT – Decision
.
Whatever challenges
come your way over the next few weeks, keep people at the center of your
thinking - in times of uncertainty, when you’re not sure what to do, if you’ll
make any difficult decision with people in mind, you’ll find you come out
better in the end
By John Maxwell
The past few days have been busy.
I’m in Israel on a trip with several
people, and while we’ve enjoyed our time touring this great country, we’ve been
impacted like the rest of the world by the Covid-19 virus.
Everywhere you go, it’s the subject of
conversations and concerns; it is quite literally the focus of the world right
now.
It’s challenging as a leader when
something like this happens because there are so many ways it impacts how you
lead.
There are financial decisions because
of the way concerns are impacting the markets.
There are logistical decisions because
of the changing health and travel advisories. (Trust me on that — getting home
from Israel is suddenly a different proposition!)
But more than anything else, there are
difficult decisions to be made right now, decisions that will impact more than
bottom lines or travel plans.
As leaders, some of the decisions we
are facing right now have the capacity to impact the lives and health of
countless people. These aren’t decisions to be made lightly.
In fact, our team just made one such
decision. After speaking with several global leaders and monitoring the impact
of the virus physically and mentally on people world-wide, our team just
yesterday made the difficult decision to reschedule our Spring International
Maxwell Certification event.
This is one of our annual coaching
certification events attended by thousands of men and women who want to
become John Maxwell Team coaches.
This decision will have significant
impact on finances, schedules, and plans, but is the RIGHT thing to do.
Over the past several days, our CEO
Mark Cole has met with me and briefed me on what he was learning, and we were
in constant conversation about what we needed to do.
In every discussion, Mark kept bringing
us back to the question, “What’s best for our people?”
Sometimes in leadership you have to
make decisions that are challenging and difficult.
But in all those decisions, leaders
need to think, as Mark did, “What’s best for our people?”
Simon Sinek, in his book The
Infinite Game, talks about the need for leaders to put people ahead of
profits; to care more about the long view than the short term.
Over the past several days, I’ve
watched and offered counsel as Mark has worked his way to this massive
decision, and here’s what I’ve observed and want to pass on to you should you
find yourself in his shoes soon:
1. He was in constant
communication with his team. We’ve been in Israel for the past
few weeks for a series of trips, and despite our busy schedule and the
seven-hour time difference, Mark has intentionally carved out time to talk with
our leadership team about the virus and its impact.
2. He delegated
responsibility to other leaders. In times of crisis, many leaders
want to shrink the circle of information and responsibility, but it was
expanding his circle that was essential for Mark in keeping the big picture in
mind.
By empowering members of our leadership
team to monitor the news, watch market trends, and seek advice from other
business leaders, he was able to have accurate, up-to-the-minute information
synthesized and presented to him daily, which allowed him to see the Big
Picture with clear eyes.
3. He was deliberate
with his thinking. Mark
sought out several of his mentors, many of whom lead businesses that are being
impacted by Covid-19. He listened to their challenges and thought processes,
and he learned from them.
I sat down with him each night as a
sounding board and gave him space to process everything he was learning.
He didn’t rush to a decision simply
because there was stress — he lived with the tension until he could get enough
information and perspective to make the right decision.
4. He put the people
first. I
mentioned this earlier, but it bears repeating that when it comes to making
difficult decisions, the impact on people must be top of mind for any leader.
Not just your shareholders or employees, but
the people you may never see — the spouses, children, and communities that will
be affected based on your choice.
Every choice you make as a leader has
an effect that radiates outward; that effect can be as gentle as a ripple, or
as devastating as a bomb blast, depending on how much consideration you’ve
given to the people it will touch.
Our company has people as its highest
value — we are people of value who value people and add value to them.
We have already worked with everyone
who was scheduled for our March event and provided them a solution for the
disruption.
We’re adding value in new and creative
ways thanks to technology and the efforts of our incredible team. It’s not what
we’d planned, and it’s not easy, but it’s what is RIGHT.
Leader, whatever challenges come your
way over the next few weeks, keep people at the center of your thinking.
In times of uncertainty, when you’re
not sure what to do, if you’ll make any difficult decision with people in mind,
you’ll find you come out better in the end.
The John Maxwell Company compels corporate
leaders and consumers to inspire, challenge, and equip organizations to live
out leadership and reach their potential. This company distributes my
resources, develops customized curriculum for businesses of all sizes, and
impacts industries locally, nationally and globally.
From
assessments and coaching to public and on-site workshops, each solution we
provide inspires and challenges you not just to learn but to lead with
excellence. All of my company’s curriculum can be customized to specifically
address your organizational, cultural, and leadership challenges. It also
offers numerous programs for individuals seeking to grow themselves personally.
potential.
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