Strategic Thinking

I see evidences practically every day of decisions that are made in the moment, for the moment, without thought for the long-term consequences of the decision.  I understand that some decisions have to be made quickly.  I also understand the danger of getting trapped into a thought process which practically insures that no decision ever gets made while pondering the long-term.  But, there is a middle ground!  There is almost always time to carefully consider the implication of a decision upon the long-term goals and weigh that decision against the short-term. 

Too little consideration is given by new managers to one of the greatest dangers that every middle manager faces:  Precedent. Precedent is one of the most dangerous and slippery enemies managers face.  By thinking that a decision exists in a moment in time, managers and leaders miss the reality that everything is connected to everything else; that every decision has a consequence broader than the obvious and that there may be implications from even a seemingly harmless decision which can spiral out of control.

For example, you make a decision to allow a policy to be overridden due to special circumstances for one employee or student, believing they will honor your grace  by keeping it to themselves.  But NOTHING is ever kept secret and soon other employees/students are clamoring for the same exemption, or thinking about bringing a lawsuit against you for not allowing the exemption.

The answer is to SLOW down long enough to think about the consequences of the decision, the possible implications of precedent and whether or not the benefit provided to the one is worth the possible harm to the many.  As Spock said, "the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one."

If, on the other hand, you still feel there needs to be some accommodation, then volunteer yourself or your personal resources to meet the need (although charges of favoritism could could still be leveled)

It is always a balance of meeting the needs of the one without destroying the institution which supports the many.  That is one of the great burdens of leaders; to walk that tightrope and THINK STRATEGICALLY.

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