Choice determines reputation

Krish Dhanam is an internationally renowned speaker and trainer and is more popularly known as the adopted son of the legendary Zig Ziglar. He currently resides in Atlanta.

Rick Belluzzo is former Microsoft president for international and currently resides in Palo Alto. I had the privilege of having a small part in the book the two have written: “Hardheaded and Softhearted.” I have previously used this book as a pre-read requirement in my leadership training program. In the part of the book under the chapter “Choice Determines Reputation,” a piece of good advice is offered. It talks about decision-making effectiveness, and here is an excerpt:

1The founder of a half-billion-dollar company often said that we are free up to the moment of choice, and then the option controls the chooser. Enabling the right decisions is delicate and studying companies that have consistently allowed their employees to make the right choices for generations is an eye-opening look into reality.

Decision-making is now as much a science as it is an art. In a constantly fluctuating world, decision-making swings between reacting to the unexpected or pro-action to the expected. Results rule because the bottom line is essential, but people matter because humanity is vital. Deciding the difference between what is critical and what is urgent is the responsibility of leadership.

The following decision-making sequence focuses on the main thing and fosters a system that RATEs itself.

R - Reliability: Ensuring the reliability of information before making a decision is an excellent countermeasure. Establish primary and secondary fact-checkers internally.

A - Accountability: In any sequence of decision-making attach accountability to the source of information. This step should transcend perceptions and stay anchored on facts.

T - Transfer: Ownership in decision-making installs the right attitude. It prevents unnecessary loops of retracing and prevents redundancy. When individuals are empowered to accept responsibility for making a decision, they have now assumed responsibility for the decision.

E - Excellence: Birthed in the mission and equipped with vision, this decision-making step assumes peak performance. Cultures that take pride in their excellence are vocal about the need for transcendence.

And then, the authors challenge the leader with the following questions, and it would be good for us to reflect on them.

Questions:

1. Looking at the diversity of your team, what do you still need to learn about the cultures that shape them, the languages that define them, and the history that represents them?

2. The difference between the “comfort” zone and the “effective” zone is called “growth,” and growth in some areas of life is uncomfortable. What new learning will you embark on as a choice that will seal your reputation as worldly and wise?

3. What three books will you commit to reading that will lead you to become globally diverse and universally competent?

The corporate world has had years of overpowering corporate slogans and cliches on “empowering people.” But when done wrongly, “empowerment” becomes a cover-up for dumping work and responsibilities to others and not being accountable for the results. I have also witnessed all those years of “enabling people” done incorrectly, leading to people having a sense of “entitlement.” Both can amount to a considerable degree of damage and hinder growth.

Some say, “This is why more leadership training is needed.” And I do agree. But I would argue that it is not just “more” leadership training but more the “right kind” of leadership that would equip people to make the right decisions and carry forth effective work as they navigate the uncertain future.

I have invited Krish to come and will do some leadership programs with him in October this year. Krish continues to train top US companies and is very much attuned to the changing business landscape.

The portion of the book concludes with a powerful quote which the authors called,

Transformative Tip: “In times of change, it is the learners who will inherit the earth while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped for a world that no longer exists.” - Eric Hoffer

(The next Level Up Leadership 2.0 Master Class Online will happen this Sept. 27-29. For inquiries and reservations, contact April at +63928-559-1798 or and for more information, visit www.levelupleadership.ph)

1 Hardheaded and Softhearted by Krish Dhanam and Rick Belluzzo