3-31-10 Think for Yourself

Did you notice in the recent health care legislation vote that not one Republican, in either the House or the Senate, voted for the bill(s)? No, I’m not here to start a debate on the whole health care legislation issue. There are plenty of other political blogs, talking heads, and pols that are gleefully doing that online for you. Instead, I’m here to discuss the whole idea of thinking for yourself.

Given the recent legislation, I find it incredibly hard to believe that not one Republican could agree with the legislation. And that means that at least one of them went against their beliefs in what would be good legislation. To me, that also means that he/she didn’t think for themselves --- that they let other people do their thinking for them.

When it comes to this kind of behavior in the executive ranks, I have a problem with that. Yes, I know, in a previous post I talked about the need sometimes to just shut up and salute smartly (2-1-10 Salute Smartly). But I’ve also talked about the need for the executive to be decisive. In fact, it is the number one skill within the execution function for executives (12-30-09 Morphing to a Model).

As an executive, you are expected to be decisive. And the decisions you will make aren’t typically going to be easy. Hell, if they were easy, someone on down the management chain would have already made the decision. And you can be sure that some of the decisions you make won’t be popular. As I used to tell my guys, that’s okay….. That’s why they issue me the big shoulder pads.

Seriously, you can’t make decisions, particularly on extremely important topics, based on what would be popular or what would curry you favor with your party. You have to make decisions based on: what is right for your company, what is right for your people, and what is right for you.

It is always a balancing act. And sometimes you will be better at it than others. But you have to think it through for yourself and then act appropriately. No hiding behind anyone or any group.

Cheers!