Page 122 - 4- Leading_from_Within

is too focused on his/her own agenda may risk alienating co-workers
whose cooperation is necessary to meet organizational objectives.

The next crucial aspect of judgment follows this “attitude adjustment,” and
involves more clearly understanding the situation that requires a decision.
That means that a leader has to be clearly aware of the need for change,

must then gather the necessary information related to making a good
judgment, and then clarify the situation or issue in such a way that it is
clear and compelling for the organization’s staff and stakeholders. 143 It is
important to avoid the old joke, “My mind is made up; don’t confuse me
with the facts.” Effective judgment can be biased if people go according to
their natural tendencies and use only that information that supports and
agrees with their preference. For that reason alone, it is often helpful to

obtain good advice from successful and respected leaders and learn from
them, rather than going through a difficult process of trial and error.

As an example of the gathering of information with respect to a personnel
issue, it might be important to identify the key roles in your organization,

focus on filling them, and listen to the desires, expectations, and needs of
the people in those roles. The right people need to be placed in the right
spots, it should be ensured that they have the appropriate resources and
training, and they need to be listened to and allowed to do their jobs.
Clearly, it takes the “right” people within an organization to implement a

good strategy and to rise to the occasion during those crises that are likely
to occur.

A third critical aspect of judgment is arriving at a decision and being able
to clearly explain it. This process can be facilitated by the use of “why”

questions that clarify what really needs to be addressed in a particular
judgment.

Another part of the preparation phase for making a judgment involves
getting the right people engaged. It is essential to determine who has
what to contribute and get them involved at the right time. Those who

have nothing to contribute should probably not be part of the process. The

143 Noel Tichy and Chris DeRose,“Leadership Judgment: Without It Nothing Else Matters,”
http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/handle/2027.42/58085/277_ftp.pdf;jsessionid=860E1F74F5511FF
8D2C74BA259679CCD?sequence=1.

David Kolzow 122