Anatomy of a Decision: 3 Basics Leaders Must Bear In Mind

An ostrich sticks his head in the sand.

Leaders can’t.

A deer gets paralyzed in headlights.

Leaders better not.

A turtle retreats into its shell.

Leaders seldom have the luxury.

And yet …

… many leaders are guilty of each one.

In the last few days, a giant story has played out on a grand stage, illuminated for all to see. And it is instructive for leaders everywhere.

You know the Michael Vick saga. Who doesn’t.

Frankly, I’m sick of it. I’m not going to rehash it here. It’s been analyzed to death in all media for over two years.

But now there’s a new twist most worthy of discussion. For sports fans and non sports fans alike.

For those living under a rock, unaware, I’ll take one quick sentence to recap the story, so the “new twist” makes sense…

Vick was a superstar pro football player involved for many years, under the radar, in the brutal and illegal sport of dog fighting, who got caught, was found guilty, and served almost two years in prison plus two months of house confinement, and is now free and hoping to play pro football again.

Enough of that. Onward…

This is not an opinion piece about Vick, what he did, the sentence he got, or whether I think he should ever be allowed to play again.

No.

 I want to focus on the one thing I’ve been anxiously waiting 23 months to find out …

What would NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell do once Vick’s court-mandated sentence was carried out and complete? In other words, once Vick’s “debt to society” was over, what would Goodell decide is Vick’s “debt to the NFL, debt to the game, debt to the fans”?

Would Goodell step up? Or would he abdicate?

And now we know.

Goodell has decided to “partially” reinstate Vick, to give him a second chance, but with strict behavioral conditions. (The exact conditions are not important. It’s a pretty long list, and frankly, not relevant to my point here.)

Specifically, I want to deal with these elements of Goodell’s decision: Responsibility. Method. Reaction.

LESSONS & ACTIONS FOR YOU

In short, this is about Roger Goodell being a courageous leader. Not an ostrich. Not a deer. Not a turtle.

 Here are three tenets of good decision-making that Goodell displayed in spades …

(1) Never run from the responsibility to make important decisions.

A few years ago, the league had a number of loud, obnoxious, arrogant, rogue athletes — several lawbreakers and rules violators among them — who were destroying the league image, and had gone unpunished for too long.

Enter Roger Goodell, new sheriff in town. As commissioner, he has the responsibility, obligation and authority to protect the integrity of the game and image of the league.

In each case, with each perpetrator, he acted decisively. He backed down from nothing. Finally, after an extended period of league lawlessness, a new leader set an exciting, long-awaited tone of order, ethical conduct, and integrity.

With Vick, too, Goodell responded right away. Just released from prison, his home confinement complete, and now a free man, Goodell took action within days, announcing his decision publicly.

Timing here is key. Leaders who must make critical decisions — but take too long in doing so — lose the trust, respect and support of key followers. Goodell neither abdicated his responsibility nor let too much time pass. (Fact is, he brilliantly did his homework while Vick was still in prison.)

(2) When time permits, have an intelligent process for gathering wise counsel before deciding.

Goodell told reporters he sought outside input, speaking to numerous current and former players and coaches to seek opinions. Responses, he said, were very mixed. He also had two one-on-one sessions with Vick.

In the end, Goodell made his own decision, which was his to make. But he didn’t make it in a vacuum. The wisdom of others “in the know”, close to the situation, helped him see options, solutions, and avenues he might otherwise have missed.

And ultimately, to make a better decision.

(3) Be prepared to take criticism from all angles.

Lincoln said it best: “You can’t please all the people all the time.”

That’s an understatement. Even on your best days, when making your happiest choices, rest assured you’ll anger SOMEone. Go figure.

Goodell said “I was not going to make everybody happy with my decision. I did what I thought was right.”

That’s the best he — and you — can do. Make the decision. Announce it. Take your lumps. Move on. If you foolishly expect no criticism, you’ll end up crying in your beer. Worse, you’ll get cold feet making decisions in the future. You’ll be rendered ineffective.

It’s only been days and Goodell’s flak jacket has already taken substantial shots. From players. From PETA. From the media. From fans. All over the country.

And it’s far from over.

Yes, it will die down over time, but it may never go away completely. This decision will be analyzed and overanalyzed for decades, as major decisions with public impact often are.

And speaking of “public impact”, here’s a partial list of what and who Vick’s crime and Goodell’s decision have already influenced:

How players conduct themselves on and off the field

How coaches set rules and use discipline

How team owners scout, recruit and sign players

How advertisers select jocks as product endorsers

How sponsors decide which games to run their ads in, which team to support, and which stadium they want their name on

How fans decide team and player loyalties

How parents decide what to let their kids watch on TV and what player’s name they’ll allow on the back of their kid’s jersey

I’m pretty impressed with Roger Goodell’s leadership, and I give him high marks for his first few years in office.

And if you’re paying attention to this whole saga, there’s some grand “leader learning” here for you too.

Here’s more: a few questions for you to ponder …

Do you have clear behavioral norms for your staff?

If given an impromptu quiz, could every employee recite them?

Do you enforce them, or let people slide?

Do you deal with violators, or pretend you didn’t see it?

Do you get rid of chronic repeat offenders, or allow them to stay?

Do you have systems in place to identify and punish non-compliance?

Do you acknowledge your stars, or do they get ignored?

Are you a model of exemplary behavior, or are you an offender yourself?

It won’t help to bluff your way through those questions. Brutal honesty is required.

Here’s the bottom line …

Every organization, every company, every team, every family has a culture. But many are “default” cultures that were created unintentionally, are undesirable, and are unwanted.

You can have the culture you want if you take purposeful, intentional action to create it.

Roger Goodell has put on his leader boots, hiked up his leader pants, and is taking bold action to change the NFL for the better. Proof that it can be done.

Should you be doing the same?

Helping Ambitious Forward-Thinkers Soar To Success…

By Rick Houcek, President
Soar With Eagles, Inc.

Rick Houcek facilitates off-site strategic planning retreats, helping CEOs and Leadership Teams create high-impact plans that overcome the crippling effects of lousy execution (the single biggest cause of plan failure)— and get successfully implemented! His dynamic Power PlanningTM strategic process drives action through his Escape-Proof AccountabilityTM system. It’s ideal for small and mid-size businesses. To bring this potent weapon to your team, contact Rick by phone, fax or email. Visit his web site at www.SoarWithEagles.com. And ask about his 100% No-Risk Guarantee.

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