Decision is like a knife, action is like an arrow.

Author: (Korean) Kong Byeong-ho
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-08-01
Features: When leaders make decisions unilaterally, the fatal consequence is a 90% chance of misjudgment, leading to a sharp decline in organizational strength and a freezing of enthusiasm for participation in decision-making. Conversely, when leaders respect employees' opinions, they can not only maximize the organization's strength but also, when executing projects or when the organization faces difficulties, team members work together to respond swiftly to crises and turn the situation around. By nature, people often resist change. Machiavelli, in The Prince, described human nature as follows: "Man, as soon as he encounters anything that may involve a little trouble, is opposed to it at all times." Leaders cannot rely solely on their own judgment but must continuously adjust their perspectives based on reality. Before taking action, people instinctively think about how much effort it will require—this is human nature. Therefore, inspiring employees to transform "hardship" into "pleasure" and fostering their determination is also an important responsibility of leadership. During goal-setting meetings, leaders can propose a "tentative proposal" that includes their own opinions, but the proportion of this proposal should be roughly equal to the proportion of tentative proposals suggested by subordinates. Leaders must not impose their "power" into the discussion; only then can ideal decisions be made. If no materials are prepared in advance, only a verbal agreement can be reached. In such cases, you can propose, "During this meeting, we must at least achieve a certain minimized goal. Let’s all be open-minded and actively share our opinions." This encourages participation with the goal in mind. Even when a leader has already made a decision, it is still necessary to go through the meeting process. Although some may find this somewhat formal, I believe that leaders can use this "formality" to share information with everyone and, by listening to their opinions, gain better ideas and inspire greater enthusiasm for participation. P15