How Leaders Make Decisions

by Seth Sinclair, Member

As the world knows, on May 2, 2011 a team of courageous and dedicated U.S. Navy Seals captured and killed the man who, before his death, personified America’s greatest enemy and threat: Osama bin Laden.  While the Seals were accomplishing their difficult feat, the President of the United States watched and waited.  He, too, had accomplished a difficult task—one familiar to anyone who has ever had leadership responsibilities: deciding on a course of action when your subordinates have made conflicting recommendations as to what that course of action should be.

Once bin Laden’s hiding place was discovered, no one questioned that the United States would have to do something about it.  As some commentators have pointed out, the question was not whether America would try to kill or capture him; the question the President faced was how the deed would best be done.  According to news reports, his advisors were split into three different camps: to work with the Pakistani government to arrange for bin Laden to be taken prisoner (because, after all, Pakistan is a sovereign nation, and an American ally); to use targeted missiles to destroy bin Laden’s hideout; or to send American troops in to overpower the hideout and remove bin Laden, alive or dead.

All three options had advantages and disadvantages.  Working with an ally meant troops familiar with the area would be part of the raid and no danger of outside interference, but significantly raised the possibility that secrecy could not be maintained: a missile strike would put no troops at risk, but would have led to uncertainty whether, in fact, bin Laden had truly been killed; and sending in commandos meant that the world would immediately know the outcome—but the possibility of interception and failure was highest (the Washington Post wrote that the President believed the chances were only 55/45 in favor of success.)  Each course of action, it appears from news accounts, had strong supporters, and passionate opponents.  In the end, the President sent in the Seals, and it appears, from the outcome, he made the right decision.

What should a leader do when faced with a difficult decision and a lack of unanimity on what path to take?  The most important thing, I believe, for a leader to keep in mind is to get as many outside perspectives as possible before making a decision—and to not tip his or her hand which way he or she is leaning.   (Obviously, the President was limited in the number of people he could consult with because of the extreme need for secrecy in bin Laden’s case; most of us, however, are not so constrained.) 

Genuinely asking for input gives a manager the opportunity to understand and explore different perspectives than his or her own, and may lead to valuable insights the manager would not otherwise have gotten.  Very few employees are upset if their recommendations are not followed—if they are sure their viewpoints were heard, and seriously considered.    Managers must not indicate which way they are leaning because employees are attuned to their biases, and most will shape their responses, consciously or unconsciously, to reflect what their boss wants to hear, and then the boss will not be getting the best advice possible.

Every leader, of course, has a decision making style that’s his or her own.  Newer leaders should invest some time in understanding and learning their own personal leadership and decision making styles in order to increase their self awareness.  This will help them improve their ability to ask for input, and help them build confidence in their unique style.  In Sinclair’s leadership development training programs, we help to facilitate this introspective process.

Once a decision is made, a leader must take responsibility for decisions and for communicating that decision to those who need to know what the decision was.  He or she must also decide who is to be accountable to carry the decision out; provide a deadline for accomplishing the tasks that are required; make sure all appropriate approvals are given, and those who must be notified in advance are told.   And, of course, he or she must keep from interfering too much with those whose job it is to implement the decision.

There’s lots more to the subject of executive decision making, of course, and in coming months, we’ll spend more time on the subject here on this blog.  However, if you or members of your staff need immediate help in this area or other areas of executive development and training, why not give us a call here at Sinclair Advisory Group?  Our leadership development programs are among the best in the business, taught by successful executives who have made tough decisions throughout their careers—and, like the President, made them work!