How the Wise Decide: The Lessons of 21 Extraordinary Leaders [Hardcover]

 

 

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In Judgment, Noel Tichy and Warren Bennis assert that what really matters "is not how many calls a leader gets right, or even what percentage of calls a leader gets right. Rather it is important how many of the important ones he or she gets right." They go on to suggest that effective leaders "not only make better calls, but they are able to discern the really important ones and get a higher percentage of them right. They are better at a whole process that runs from seeing the need for a call, to framing issues, to figuring out what is critical, to mobilizing and energizing the troops." That is certainly true of the 21 "extraordinary leaders" whom Bryn Zeckhauser and Aaron Sandoski examine in this book.

Although quite different in terms of their personality, leadership style, and circumstances, what do the 21 share in common? Zeckhauser and Sandoski spent three years in search of the answer and concluded that all of them make their "tough calls" based six core decision-making principles. Here are two:

Go to the Source: "Making it a routine part of your job to go to the source will require a new mind-set, a realignment of your priorities and the tenacity to pursue firsthand information wherever it may take you. But if you become skilled at using this powerful tool as the three leaders you're about to meet [i.e. Bill George, Mike Reuttgers, and Orin Smith], you can beat competitors, find new markets, and generate terrific new products." Other leaders discussed include Paul Galvin (Motorola), John Whitehead (Goldman Sachs), and Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer

Listen with Purpose: "Are you listening carefully? Then you're missing the point. It isn't how you listen, it's why you listen that's important." Zeckhauser and Sandoski have identified three major purposes leaders have for listening. "The first is listening to gather information." More specifically, listening "to fill in gaps in the information you already have...Finally, listen with the purpose of generating ownership." That is, to ensure that the decision once made will be properly executed, first seek out and respect the opinions of others to reassure them that their input is valued. "A great decision that can't or won't be executed is no decision at all." Leaders discussed in this chapter include Vernon Loucks (Baxter Healthcare), Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore, Bill Riley (World Wildlife Fund), and Rick Wagoner (General Motors).

Zeckhauser and Sandoski devote a chapter to each of the six principles, citing real-world examples to illustrate it, then suggest in the final chapter that as a manager masters one principle, she or begin working on another. This is an excellent suggestion because, although separate, the principles are also interrelated, if not interdependent. That is "bad news" if you are fearful of contacting an irate customer to discuss a serious problem because, if you don't, the problem is certain to become worse. This is also "good news" because if you listen with purpose to those who inform you of a serious problem, and do so with respect and appreciation, they and others will continue to do so and then support your efforts to solve the given problem.

I urge those who read this review not to be deterred by the fact that all of the 21 exemplary leaders whom Zeckhauser and Sandoski discuss are prominent. Together, it is true, they demonstrate the power and value of the six core decision-making principles but that is because they have mastered those principles and, in most cases, did so only after experiencing one or more of what Warren Bennis and Robert Thomas characterize as "crucibles" in their book, Geeks & Geezers. Centuries ago, metallurgists attempted to transform chemical compounds into gold. Their instrument was a crucible, a cup-shaped receptacle that they heated to very high temperatures. Most managers in today's business world have already experienced - or will experience -- personal tragedies, failures, disappointments, dysfunctional relationships, etc. Some managers emerge from these modern-day "crucibles" stronger, wiser, and better prepared to cope with whatever may await them. Other managers do not. Although Bryn Zeckhauser and Aaron Sandoski make no such claim, I think that mastery of the same six principles can help managers to avoid or at least emerge from crucible-like experiences. Better yet, they will help managers to become more fully developed human beings as well as more effective leaders.

The book they have written is a brilliant achievement.

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