Syria and Sausages

This is a non-political post but it makes use of current events to make a point.  The event is the sudden and complete reversal of US foreign policy regarding Syria as a result of the seizure of a single and possibly facetious remark by the Secretary of State.  Ironically, the situation forms an interesting segue from last week's blog post suggesting that effective governance is less about which way a decision goes than it is about making clear what the decision was and is.

• Don't make the sausage in public.  If the executives cannot really commit to a decision once it is made, then let it wait, or it will face passive resistance from the outset - often inspired by those same executives.

• Address and welcome obvious questions before the decision is made. That way, an executive's unrehearsed remarks are already informed with regard to reasonable questions. "Have you considered any alternatives?" is a pretty obvious question in regard to almost any decision.

• Executives are always on stage, everywhere, every minute.  You knew this; so did Obama and Kerry. It just goes to show how easy it can be to forget.  Never miss a golden opportunity to remain silent.

All too often, decision processes are viewed as just another procedural hurdle.  Presenters seek to get the answer they want, and they avoid mentioning any potentially adverse information.  Putting the issues on the table early allows those issues to be considered and dealt with; then we are prepared when the question does arise or when the risk event does occur.   Nonetheless it is human nature, and even more so among the compulsively competitive rising stars who are trying to get their ideas implemented, to believe that what is good for them is good for the organization.  Many such strivers view any questioning as a personal affront aimed at undermining, rather than improving, their initiatives.  The unsung heroes are the chiefs of staff and the secretariat who must work out what the important issues and questions are, and make sure that these matters are actively included in the eventual decision.

Having said that, it is not necessary to grind the sausage in the store window.  Executives mostly get to that level precisely because they prefer not to confront anyone directly, least of all their peers, and certainly not openly.  The issues involved in any complex decision cannot be discussed and resolved in a 30 minute slot at a board meeting.  Beyond actual conflicting issues, there is also (like it or not) often horse-trading of resources associated with many high-level decisions; that will seldom be included in the record of decision!  For the most part, these matters will be resolved in multiple meetings before the actual board meeting, which will therefore take on the appearance of a rubber-stamp because everyone has already agreed beforehand.  That makes it easy to document what the decision was, but not as easy to document that the critical issues were considered or how they were resolved.