I recently read about a leader who said that the way to know if you were doing anything of value at work is to never be sure if your decisions and actions would cause you to lose your job! Now, I fully understand that they were talking about the importance of taking risks, stepping into unchartered territory, and being willing to be bold and brave, however, I think most of us would agree that the 21st century workplace is stressful enough, and that to always be operating with the fear of being fired for overreach is unhealthy. I believe we all need a few days here and there when we can come to work with the feeling that we will be appreciated, valuable, and still employed at the end of the day. I worked with an organization years ago that was in such a chaotic state of workforce uncertainty that it was generally considered optimistic to bring your lunch to work, because one might not still be employed by lunchtime! I don’t know about you, but I’d rather function in my work life with a little more certainty than that.
This brings me to the point I’d like to make in this week’s blog. Whether it be due to maturity, mellowing, or tiring of the constant stress with which I have typically functioned over the years, I’m finding that when leading others, casting new ventures, or making some of the difficult leadership decisions we make, I try to be at peace within myself. Sure, there are times when you have to take a calculated risk and do something you’ve never done before that might be terrifying, but even then, the decision to take the risk can be accompanied by an underlying sense of peace about your decision. A few weeks ago I blogged about the importance of following your gut. This is similar. When making a difficult decision, I seek a level of discernment that allows me to have peace about the decision I’ve made and the subsequent actions that will follow.
Sometimes these decisions have to do with managing others, creating a new venture or taking your team in whole new directions. Other times they are personal decisions about career, finances or relationships. Recently I have been faced with several important decisions both at work and in my personal life. In each, there have been important things to be decided upon that have the potential of a long-term impact on my life and my family. As I have wrestled with choices, I had to really seek more than a decision that made reasonably good sense and was rational, but also one that wouldn’t keep me up at night. The last thing I want to do is make a big decision then regret it for years to come. The only time I want to be thinking about it in the middle of the night is before the decision is made! In a word, I want peace. Most recently I had a big decision to make for which I made a list of all the pros and cons for five different scenarios of how to handle the issue. I worked the issue through from every angle and did my best to discover the best way of handling the situation. I did my homework and slowed down the process so that I didn’t move too quickly. In the end, my decision had everything to do with the fact that I didn’t have an inner peace about the other scenarios.
As a leader, I believe this is an important skill to learn. Yes, leaders sometimes need to act quickly and boldly when opportunity presents itself, but most of the time, taking a little extra time to make sure that the decision is wise and well researched is equally important. Above all, when a leader makes a decision, they need to know in their gut that they have made the best decision they can make. They need peace. If you are faced with a big decision and the solutions before you cause your stomach to ache, slow the process down, buy yourself a little time, and be willing to walk away. Seek discernment and wise counsel. If someone is pushing you, stop. The easiest time to fix a problem caused by a bad decision is before the decision is made. Proceed when you have peace. The people you lead and you will sleep better.
Lead well.