Success is usually pretty simple, really. Particularly in executive leadership. Note, I did not say success was “easy,” merely that it’s simple.
As in, “not complex.”
The secret? Make more “right” decisions than “wrong” ones. That’s it – the answer you’ve been waiting for all these years.
See, I told you it was simple.
Now, pulling this off may take some work. Work that, by the way, explains why you’re paid what you’re paid, and why your business card reads “leader,” or some variation thereof.
In my military leadership days, I worked under a Colonel, Scott Atkins, who would frequently tell me that, “If 25% of your decisions aren’t wrong, it’s just because you’re not making enough decisions.”
That same Colonel would also tell me that most decisions aren’t really “right” or “wrong,” or “good” or “bad;” they’re just decisions. Sometimes, after making a particular decision, we must immediately make another one, seemingly contrary to the first. This doesn’t necessarily imply that the first decision was incorrect; merely that, when making the second decision, we did so with new, superior knowledge.
They key, usually, is to make enough well-thought, educated decisions so that the 25% that are less than perfect go nearly unnoticed because of the 75% that are driving your success.
Make enough decisions.
