A Leader as a Principled Decision Maker
Principled Decision Maker - Demonstrates proficiency in identifying and applying ethical principles to decision-making through a balanced approach involving both systemic and intuitive analysis.
Evidence of Knowledge Acquisition
“Making good decisions is a crucial skill at every level” (Drucker). Principled decision-making is a vitally important skill that every effective leader must have. “Inability to make decisions is one of the principle reasons executives fail. Deficiency in decision-making ranks much higher than lack of specific knowledge or technical know-how as an indicator of leadership failure” (Maxwell). According to the New Oxford American dictionary, the definition of principled is “acting in accordance with morality and showing recognition of right and wrong.” Identifying the characteristics that leaders must have to be good decision makers, and understanding the principles involved in good decision making practice, will equip me, as an emerging leader, to be more effective in this area. The MAiL program has definitely challenged my thinking and developed my understanding of this competency.
There are many things that contribute to effective decision-making and the specific characteristics that leaders possess, have a direct correlation with how they will make decisions. In leadership theory, the Traits Approach to leadership defines specific traits that are consistently identified with effective leaders. Some of these important traits are intelligence, self-confidence, determination, integrity, sociability, extraversion, conscientiousness, openness, low neuroticism, agreeableness, and emotional intelligence (Northouse, 2010, p. 36). Of the qualities given in this list, many of these directly relate to a leaders ability to make decisions; intelligence, self-confidence, determination, integrity, openness, low neuroticism, and emotional intelligence. Howard Behar (2009), in his book It’s Not About the Coffee, outlines ten principles that guided him through his many years as a senior executive at Starbuck’s. These principles govern the way they work, make decisions, confront problems, care about one another, persevere, and create opportunities for the future (Behar, 2009, p. 4). There are several of these principles that speak directly to decision making. First, know who you are – be clear about your values, purpose and goals. Second, know why you’re here – do things for the right reasons. Third, think independently – encourage the independent thinking of others and ourselves and bring others along in the decision making process. Fourth, build trust – care like you really mean it. Fifth, listen for the truth – listen to even what is not said. Sixth – be accountable – take responsibility and say what needs to be said. Seventh – take action – think like a person of action and act like a person of thought (Behar, 2009, p. 6). To become principled decision makers, leaders must have these qualities and operate by principles that will allow others to trust their ability to make decisions.
Interpretation of Knowledge
When I entered the MAiL program, I had had a decent amount of life experience to practice appropriate decision-making and therefore would have rated myself as emerging (2). In my years raising three children and being primary manager of the family finances, I have benefited from a lot of practical experience. However, I had not really thought through many of the decision-making principles in a broader leadership context. There were several things that significantly contributed to my understanding and growth in this area. In several of the leadership classes I was given assignments to study and critique leaders who had made significant impact. I read and wrote papers about Billy Graham for LDRS 501, Richard Sterns for LDRS 502, Henrietta Mears for LDRS 532, and Gandhi and Nelson Mandela for LDRS 598. There were also many other discussions about qualities of effective and impacting leaders. Consistently the quality of integrity stood out as being crucially important.
What we believe, how we think, how we feel and experience life becomes our personal leadership philosophy and will drive our decisions, actions, and interactions with those who follow. Learning to define ones values and living and making decisions based on those values is also important. “Leaders are defined by their values and their character. Practicing your values in a consistent way brings meaning to your work and life, and enables your life to be congruent and authentic” (George, 2008, p. 65). Reading the book True North by Bill George (2007) and working through the accompanying workbook, Finding your true north: A personal guide (2008) in LDRS 516 clearly helped me clarify and articulate my values, leadership principles, ethical boundaries, and motivations. I was able to formulate some very clear statements that will guide me in my future decisions as a leader. Here is an excerpt from one of the papers I wrote in this clarification process. “As I am called upon to make more decisions in leadership positions, there are some very clear ethical boundaries that, in my mind, are not negotiable. Personal integrity is of the utmost importance. Being honest and up front in all relationships and dealings is vital to relational and organizational health. Being true to myself and not compromising on my core values, will be what sustains me for the long haul. My priority will always be the people, so therefore I will not trade advancement for relationship and I will always value the people over production. I will not malign others just for the sake of making myself look good. Ultimately my goal is to always uphold biblical principles, knowing that I will answer to God for the decisions I make and the actions I take. Proverbs 11:3 provides a guideline for upholding our values and integrity in leadership. “The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity” (NIV). Authenticity, congruency and longevity in leadership are grounded in living and leading through the lens of our values.”
Jim Collins (2001) through his book Good to Great, also significantly contributed to my understanding of good decision-making principles. As his research team studied companies and leaders that were able to make the leap from good to great, they discovered a very simple idea, which came to be called the Hedgehog Concept. “A Hedgehog Concept is a simple, crystalline concept that flows from deep understanding about the intersection of the following three circles: what you can be best at, what drives your economic engine, and what you are deeply passionate about” (Collins, 2001, p. 95). “All the good-to-great companies attained a very simple concept that they used as a frame of reference for all their decisions and with this understanding coincided with breakthrough results” (Collins, 2001, p. 95). The ah-ha moment for me in this understanding was that it is equally important to have a “stop doing list” and be able to say no to the things that didn’t fit within the Hedgehog Concept. Here is a great question to keep in mind in all decision-making processes both personally and organizationally. “The real question is, once you know the right thing, do you have the discipline to do the right thing and equally important, to stop doing the wrong thing” (Collins, 2001, p. 141)?
Application of Knowledge
Over the course of the past few years, I have had several opportunities to apply my learning and integrate my understanding as a principled decision maker. In 2011, we were experiencing significant problems in the youth ministry of our church. As a concerned parent and a staff member, I was able to clearly identify some of the key problem areas, articulate the problems as I saw them to senior leadership, and then offer a detailed plan of corrective action. I was able to contribute to some decisions that were crucial in improving this area of ministry at that time. Through the process of planning ten large, community outreach productions, I had on-going responsibilities to make budgeting decisions and was always able to devise solutions to produce the highest quality product within tight budget constraints. I also had a major influence in a decision-making process involving our Good Friday and Easter event in 2014. In trying to decide on whether we should proceed with the event for that year, I gathered feedback and invited other key players to give with their insight and input. I was able to discern what would be best for the organization and then to clearly express that to senior leadership. I was also able to be clearly decisive, and stay firmly committed to the plan to move forward, even when senior leadership wavered. I felt I was clear, concise, and decisive throughout the process. After the decision was finalized to move forward, I then fully engaged to see the production through to completion, resulting in a highly successful event for the whole church. More recently I had to do some personal evaluation about my job and walk through a difficult decision making process that resulted in significant changes in my situation. Because of the sensitive nature of this process and for the sake of confidentiality, I will not share details. Through this experience, however, there was some significant personal discovery, and I found that decision-making is much more difficult when there is personal emotional involvement. This is a challenge in leadership, and certainly for me personally, to remember that it is important to be highly sensitive to people and yet have the ability to step back and look at situations from a different perspective in order to make the best decisions.
Creation of New Knowledge
Through my new knowledge and understanding, I feel better equipped to be involved in the decision-making process as a leader. In order to continue to grow in this area I have several specific goals for the next few years. First of all, I want to find a satisfying job where I am put in a position to be involved in discernment and decision-making on a regular basis. This will give me opportunities to exercise these decision-making muscles. As my husband and I are transitioning into a new season of launching young adult children and me returning to work full-time (hopefully within the next year), I want to create a detailed financial plan for retirement and clearing educational and other debt. There will be many important decisions involved in that process. I also have a long-term goal of being on the board of a non-profit organization sometime within the next five years. I feel I have a lot to contribute in wisdom, discernment and strategic planning, and I would like to stretch my wings and be able to serve in this capacity. I am not sure in what particular context this would be, but I will be seeking out appropriate opportunities.
I feel I have experienced significant growth in this competency during my time in the MAiL program and would now rate myself as competent (4). As with the other competencies, I feel I have learned so much and yet still have so much more to learn. Many opportunities are ahead, and I am hoping to be a more effective leader through continuing to develop my skills as a principled decision maker.
Evidence of Knowledge Acquisition
“Making good decisions is a crucial skill at every level” (Drucker). Principled decision-making is a vitally important skill that every effective leader must have. “Inability to make decisions is one of the principle reasons executives fail. Deficiency in decision-making ranks much higher than lack of specific knowledge or technical know-how as an indicator of leadership failure” (Maxwell). According to the New Oxford American dictionary, the definition of principled is “acting in accordance with morality and showing recognition of right and wrong.” Identifying the characteristics that leaders must have to be good decision makers, and understanding the principles involved in good decision making practice, will equip me, as an emerging leader, to be more effective in this area. The MAiL program has definitely challenged my thinking and developed my understanding of this competency.
There are many things that contribute to effective decision-making and the specific characteristics that leaders possess, have a direct correlation with how they will make decisions. In leadership theory, the Traits Approach to leadership defines specific traits that are consistently identified with effective leaders. Some of these important traits are intelligence, self-confidence, determination, integrity, sociability, extraversion, conscientiousness, openness, low neuroticism, agreeableness, and emotional intelligence (Northouse, 2010, p. 36). Of the qualities given in this list, many of these directly relate to a leaders ability to make decisions; intelligence, self-confidence, determination, integrity, openness, low neuroticism, and emotional intelligence. Howard Behar (2009), in his book It’s Not About the Coffee, outlines ten principles that guided him through his many years as a senior executive at Starbuck’s. These principles govern the way they work, make decisions, confront problems, care about one another, persevere, and create opportunities for the future (Behar, 2009, p. 4). There are several of these principles that speak directly to decision making. First, know who you are – be clear about your values, purpose and goals. Second, know why you’re here – do things for the right reasons. Third, think independently – encourage the independent thinking of others and ourselves and bring others along in the decision making process. Fourth, build trust – care like you really mean it. Fifth, listen for the truth – listen to even what is not said. Sixth – be accountable – take responsibility and say what needs to be said. Seventh – take action – think like a person of action and act like a person of thought (Behar, 2009, p. 6). To become principled decision makers, leaders must have these qualities and operate by principles that will allow others to trust their ability to make decisions.
Interpretation of Knowledge
When I entered the MAiL program, I had had a decent amount of life experience to practice appropriate decision-making and therefore would have rated myself as emerging (2). In my years raising three children and being primary manager of the family finances, I have benefited from a lot of practical experience. However, I had not really thought through many of the decision-making principles in a broader leadership context. There were several things that significantly contributed to my understanding and growth in this area. In several of the leadership classes I was given assignments to study and critique leaders who had made significant impact. I read and wrote papers about Billy Graham for LDRS 501, Richard Sterns for LDRS 502, Henrietta Mears for LDRS 532, and Gandhi and Nelson Mandela for LDRS 598. There were also many other discussions about qualities of effective and impacting leaders. Consistently the quality of integrity stood out as being crucially important.
What we believe, how we think, how we feel and experience life becomes our personal leadership philosophy and will drive our decisions, actions, and interactions with those who follow. Learning to define ones values and living and making decisions based on those values is also important. “Leaders are defined by their values and their character. Practicing your values in a consistent way brings meaning to your work and life, and enables your life to be congruent and authentic” (George, 2008, p. 65). Reading the book True North by Bill George (2007) and working through the accompanying workbook, Finding your true north: A personal guide (2008) in LDRS 516 clearly helped me clarify and articulate my values, leadership principles, ethical boundaries, and motivations. I was able to formulate some very clear statements that will guide me in my future decisions as a leader. Here is an excerpt from one of the papers I wrote in this clarification process. “As I am called upon to make more decisions in leadership positions, there are some very clear ethical boundaries that, in my mind, are not negotiable. Personal integrity is of the utmost importance. Being honest and up front in all relationships and dealings is vital to relational and organizational health. Being true to myself and not compromising on my core values, will be what sustains me for the long haul. My priority will always be the people, so therefore I will not trade advancement for relationship and I will always value the people over production. I will not malign others just for the sake of making myself look good. Ultimately my goal is to always uphold biblical principles, knowing that I will answer to God for the decisions I make and the actions I take. Proverbs 11:3 provides a guideline for upholding our values and integrity in leadership. “The integrity of the upright guides them, but the unfaithful are destroyed by their duplicity” (NIV). Authenticity, congruency and longevity in leadership are grounded in living and leading through the lens of our values.”
Jim Collins (2001) through his book Good to Great, also significantly contributed to my understanding of good decision-making principles. As his research team studied companies and leaders that were able to make the leap from good to great, they discovered a very simple idea, which came to be called the Hedgehog Concept. “A Hedgehog Concept is a simple, crystalline concept that flows from deep understanding about the intersection of the following three circles: what you can be best at, what drives your economic engine, and what you are deeply passionate about” (Collins, 2001, p. 95). “All the good-to-great companies attained a very simple concept that they used as a frame of reference for all their decisions and with this understanding coincided with breakthrough results” (Collins, 2001, p. 95). The ah-ha moment for me in this understanding was that it is equally important to have a “stop doing list” and be able to say no to the things that didn’t fit within the Hedgehog Concept. Here is a great question to keep in mind in all decision-making processes both personally and organizationally. “The real question is, once you know the right thing, do you have the discipline to do the right thing and equally important, to stop doing the wrong thing” (Collins, 2001, p. 141)?
Application of Knowledge
Over the course of the past few years, I have had several opportunities to apply my learning and integrate my understanding as a principled decision maker. In 2011, we were experiencing significant problems in the youth ministry of our church. As a concerned parent and a staff member, I was able to clearly identify some of the key problem areas, articulate the problems as I saw them to senior leadership, and then offer a detailed plan of corrective action. I was able to contribute to some decisions that were crucial in improving this area of ministry at that time. Through the process of planning ten large, community outreach productions, I had on-going responsibilities to make budgeting decisions and was always able to devise solutions to produce the highest quality product within tight budget constraints. I also had a major influence in a decision-making process involving our Good Friday and Easter event in 2014. In trying to decide on whether we should proceed with the event for that year, I gathered feedback and invited other key players to give with their insight and input. I was able to discern what would be best for the organization and then to clearly express that to senior leadership. I was also able to be clearly decisive, and stay firmly committed to the plan to move forward, even when senior leadership wavered. I felt I was clear, concise, and decisive throughout the process. After the decision was finalized to move forward, I then fully engaged to see the production through to completion, resulting in a highly successful event for the whole church. More recently I had to do some personal evaluation about my job and walk through a difficult decision making process that resulted in significant changes in my situation. Because of the sensitive nature of this process and for the sake of confidentiality, I will not share details. Through this experience, however, there was some significant personal discovery, and I found that decision-making is much more difficult when there is personal emotional involvement. This is a challenge in leadership, and certainly for me personally, to remember that it is important to be highly sensitive to people and yet have the ability to step back and look at situations from a different perspective in order to make the best decisions.
Creation of New Knowledge
Through my new knowledge and understanding, I feel better equipped to be involved in the decision-making process as a leader. In order to continue to grow in this area I have several specific goals for the next few years. First of all, I want to find a satisfying job where I am put in a position to be involved in discernment and decision-making on a regular basis. This will give me opportunities to exercise these decision-making muscles. As my husband and I are transitioning into a new season of launching young adult children and me returning to work full-time (hopefully within the next year), I want to create a detailed financial plan for retirement and clearing educational and other debt. There will be many important decisions involved in that process. I also have a long-term goal of being on the board of a non-profit organization sometime within the next five years. I feel I have a lot to contribute in wisdom, discernment and strategic planning, and I would like to stretch my wings and be able to serve in this capacity. I am not sure in what particular context this would be, but I will be seeking out appropriate opportunities.
I feel I have experienced significant growth in this competency during my time in the MAiL program and would now rate myself as competent (4). As with the other competencies, I feel I have learned so much and yet still have so much more to learn. Many opportunities are ahead, and I am hoping to be a more effective leader through continuing to develop my skills as a principled decision maker.