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2. Ignore your very strong understanding that the new job will require
your full attention and negotiate a “watching brief” over your old
operation with some sort of dotted line reporting structure that will
enable you to guide your successor and protect the future of the
department to which you are devoted.

3. Refuse the job and complete your present task to such a high standard
that your capabilities and committed would be recognized by all and
the firm would be crazy to block your future progress.

Situation two

You have developed your team to the point where you are able to push deci-
sion-making down to the lowest organizational level capable of making an
informed choice. You have communicated your vision, values and objec-
tives to all so that you can be sure of each individual’s absolute commit-
ment to shared goals. You have passed a major decision to your people
acting as a team. For organizational reasons you have taken their decision
to your CEO for her to “sign off” on it. To your surprise the CEO appears
to be at best lukewarm. “I think you ought to look at this again. It is your
decision and I will back you if you choose to stick with it, but if you are
wrong, and I think that you are, your neck will definitely be on the block.”
You are convinced that the decision is right.

Choices

1. Discuss the situation “from the ground up” with your CEO. Listen to
her objections and, if necessary, throw out the original course of action
and override your team’s decision.

2. Marshall your arguments and, backing your team’s decision to the
hilt, attempt to win over the CEO, but be willing to accept that,
should you fail, the decision will have to be changed, perhaps for
something more “politically” acceptable.

3. Invite the CEO to explain her reservations, but make it clear that the
decision stands unless she indicates something that your people
cannot have known that effects the decision. You make it abundantly
clear that you have absolute faith in the capability and motives of
your team and that you only pass down decisions to those best
qualified to make them.

Situation three

You are the CEO. An opportunity has arisen that will give your firm a con-
siderable short-term advantage over competition. Exploiting it will, how-
ever, mean diverting resources from a strategic plan that is on track to
deliver your key strategic goals within the planning horizon of three years.
The effect of such a diversion will be to delay the achievement of the
strategy by at least a year. It will, however, produce a substantial extra

“Leadership is what leaders DO!” 89