‘Decisive, yes, but that means the ability to take decisions at the right time and in the right way. A decision can be visualized as a cake that can be shared in different proportions between those concerned. The leader can have all the cake, make the decision and announce it. Or, at the other end of the spectrum, the leader can seek as much consensus as possible. Obviously factors like the time available and the relative knowledge or experience of the parties – leader and others – come into the equation. There is no one right point on the scale: the optimum solution depends on the appraisal (which should become instinctive in time) of contingent factors in the situation.’
‘Are there no enduring principles, no “laws of aerodynamics”, involved here?’
‘One obvious principle is that in most exercises of judgement – the mental activity behind decision-making – as the proverb says, Two heads are better than one. When time is short even to the point of crisis a wise leader with skill may consult, listen and weigh the input of other people. Generally the consulting process, providing it is not done in a ritualistic, perfunctory or indifferent way, results in a better quality of decision. That is why, for example, companies have boards of directors or generals hold councils of war before taking big decisions.
‘A second important principle is that the more a person or group shares a decision that affects their working life, the more they are motivated to carry it out. It’s common sense really. If you are told to do something by someone in authority over you, you may do it. But if they want your heart and mind to be involved, if they want you to have a sense of responsibility, they will involve you in the decision as far as it is realistically feasible to do so.’
‘You are doing no more here than stating the cornerstone of democracy,’ observed the young chief executive. ‘People will tend to obey laws that they or their elected representatives have had a hand in casting. “No taxation without representation.” ‘
‘By sharing leadership in this way, especially by consulting and listening before making decisions, a good leader helps to create the right context in which people can give their best. They feel free, respected and valued. In this climate the creativity that is so often latent within us can find expression. In a literary sense, context is those parts of a discourse that surround a word or passage and can throw light upon its meaning. The context I have just described doesn’t directly inspire people – other factors are necessary for that – but it contributes to the right environment.’
‘Just as the quality and nature of the soil – nutrients, earthworms, moisture – will engage the attention of the wise gardener who wants to win gold cups for his flowers or vegetables,’ said the young chief executive. ‘It’s becoming clear to me that a lot of factors are needed to build a climate where inspiration becomes possible. I thought that it was just a question of standing up like King Henry V before Agincourt and giving people a rousing pep talk. It’s more complicated than that. I am not there yet, but at least I feel that we are on the right track. Let me write down some keypoints.’
Keypoints
- The Situational Approach emphasizes the importance of knowledge in leadership. Yet there are people who have outstanding technical or professional proficiency, but who are not seen as leaders by those who work for them. At best it is another necessary condition.
- Groups or organizations are always unique but they share the three overlapping areas of need: task, team and individual. There is a pattern of functions that together meet these needs: Planning, Initiating, Controlling, Supporting, Informing and Evaluating.
- Although in principle anyone could provide one or more of these functions, most groups have designated leaders who are accountable for them. They may be either elected or appointed – or both.
- Being decisive does not mean ‘shooting from the hip’ and invariably making snap decisions. It means taking decisions in the right way and at the right time.
- The more that groups or individuals share decisions that affect their working life, the more motivated they are to carry them out. Factors such as time and levels of knowledge affect how far decisions can be shared, but a wise leader presses for as much involvement as possible.
The summits of the various kinds of business are, like the tops of mountains, much more alike than the parts below – the bare principles are much the same; it is only the rich variegated details of the lower strata that so contrast with one another. But it needs travelling to know that the summits are the same. Those who live on one mountain believe that their mountain is wholly unlike all others.