A very thoughtful, beautiful blog post I came across by Jarek Steele reminded me of how important it is as a leader to be objective . . . and how hard this can sometimes be to achieve.

 

Who amongst us hasn’t ever got caught up in the passion and excitement of a moment that causes us to come to a snap conclusion? I’ve had a few of my own . . .

 

• On watching the first episode of Kevin Spacey’s most excellent House of Cards: “I don’t think this is going to be any good – I hate it when characters provide a commentary on what’s going to happen.” Oh, how wrong was I.

 

• To my husband: “You’ve changed your car and bought . . . a Mini?!”  My irrational fear of future age-related arthritic knee or hip joint problems preventing me from easy access to this new low-slung contraption was all too easily dissipated after my first ride in said vehicle . . . and now, obviously, I’ve claimed it for my own (that’ll teach him to make decisions without me).

 

• And my best, only this week . . . “No thanks, jeggings definitely aren’t for me – who would ever want to wear pull-up trousers?”   Said before I bought my own, first pair yesterday. Reader, they are bliss!

 

My husband calls it my “Andy moment” – you know, the delicious Matt Lucas character in Little Britain who is often heard to protest, “Don’t like that one” on repeat occasions . . . and then in a complete U-turn announces, “Like that one” (the very same one). Hmm, maybe Andy is an experiential learner like me?

 

But it strikes me that when leading a team, we can so easily fall into that trap of making a decision in the moment that is based more on subjectivity, rather than a dispassionate examination of fact – an interference that prevents us from seeing what’s so glaringly obvious right in front of us. And who could blame us for that when we’re working in a high-pressured environment, meeting deadlines, juggling resources and getting through on a daily basis what feels like an endless mountain of tasks?

 

We’ve all done it . . .

 

It takes skill to be able to respond to every new request and comment with an inner pause and calmness, to let the more logical side of our brain take over from the limbic structures that control our emotions, and in doing so, to be able to retain the part of our personality that everyone loves about us: our intuition, our talent for communication, the sometimes indescribable attributes that make our followers say we’re the best boss ever.

 

And in doing this, we don’t have to appear cold-hearted and aloof; objectivity doesn’t have to be aimed for at the expense of thoughtfulness, sensitivity or empathy for others.

 

It’s just a great starting point for having that adult to adult conversation, being able to weigh up arguments from many perspectives, and trying your best as a leader to come to not just the best decision, but to the right decision.