As a leader of a group, we must realize that when we make a decision it is then upon the others involved to decide for themselves what they will do.

A football coach calls a play. A captain on the field conveys that play in the huddle and all line up to run it. In the minds and then the actions of those players, they decide. If any one of the group were to decide to act differently, the called play may not work at all.

Decisions have many layers before they would turn into actions across a group of people. Consider this well before you would call a play/make a decision for the group.

Know your limitations and those of the players involved. Know your strengths and those of the players involved. Know and interpret the conditions you will face before they are evident. The wise come to know their decisions by experiencing them with all players. It is within the players decisions and subsequent actions that determine whether the coach and the group are successful or not.

“Most discussions of decision making assume that only senior executives make decisions or that only senior executives’ decisions matter. This is a dangerous mistake.” — Peter Drucker —

MITM #969