"You need to put some more paint on the canvas..."

The following is the original and the rewrite can be found by clicking here.

I recently had a conversation with a seasoned business professional and our discussion found itself weaving to leadership; which often happens and rightfully so. 

As part of the conversation he mentioned that he rarely says "no" but rather likes to say, "You need to put some more paint on the canvas". I could not help but smile when he said this - It is such great saying; rich with important meaning.

The point to be made here is not about a crafty way of avoiding the word "no" or delaying a decision, but rather the recognition that a "picture needs to be painted" before you can ever utter the word "no" (or "yes" for that matter), and that sometimes the picture just isn't finished. 

Simplistically speaking, leaders would like to be able to say "no, don't do it" or "yes, do it", but more often than not they find themselves needing more information or "a better picture" before they are able to, with good conscience, say "yes or no". 

Of course there are situations where the "obvious" prevails and an answer of "yes" or "no" is a proverbial "no brainer", but more often than not, information, background, and justification in the form of a good ol' solid business case is needed, which metaphorically speaking, is a canvas. 

And to carry the metaphor further, as an artist you need to remember:

• You want to paint the best picture you can - That is to say you want to communicate effectively, provide the appropriate information for understanding the Who, What, Where, When and Why of the situation and support the decision making process.
• Not all canvases are the same size - In other words, depending on the situation, the information needed to support decisions may be different or varying in depth; all based on business impact, timing, risk, return and the personalities involved.
• Be the best artist you can - Seems self explanatory
• Everyone is an art critic - You may have painted a wonderful picture of the situation but there may be someone who wants it to be "just a little better"... alas, it falls on the artist to give them what they want. More often than not though, it will make you a better artist.
• Not everyone will like the same art you do - Although you may have painted a wonderful picture, for business, strategic, core value, or other not so clear reasons, the company just isn't going to hang your painting on the wall. The upside... you at least know the answer.

So there you have it; what can come out of a great conversation...metaphors and all. 

As an aside, the unfinished painting shown is the "Signing of the Treaty of Paris" by Benjamin West that depicted the signing of the treaty that put an end to the American Revolution and formally recognized the United States as an independent nation. A beautiful painting to be sure.

iamgpe

"Will someone please make a decision" (add exclamation marks as needed)

The following is the original and the rewrite can be found by clicking here.

When I say "Will someone please make a decision", I am by no means suggesting that you should defer your destiny to someone else, diminish the need to take "the bull by the horns", not take ownership for your life, or any other pithy saying that reminds us it's our life - Our responsibility to grab on tightly and enjoy with gusto!

It's more directed to that somewhat important saying that reminds us that, "To know how to be a good leader, you need to know how to be a good follower". 

As someone who has been on both sides of this fence, I want to take a moment and offer a thought or two from the perspective of the follower... you know, the one asked to make it happen or follow the grand plan; the one who is looking to their leader to set a direction that can be executed on. And this brings us back to that simple request, "Will someone please make a decision"; admittedly sometimes also taking the form of a frazzled request, a statement, an urgent statement, a strongly worded statement or a wild eyed demand.

Where does this request come from? The simple answer is, "Nothing can get done without a decision being made"

For a follower (a doer, an executor, the fix it guy), this makes "needing a decision" very high on the list for getting things done; arguably its number one. There is an understanding that a process is required for decision making, that not all decisions are easy ones, and some decisions require time to make. However, this is not the reason you hear the words "will someone please make a decision" uttered. (With the appropriate number of exclamation marks added.)

In my experience, the reason for uttering these famous words is more often than not a result of (or combination of) the following:

• There is no defined owner for the decision.
• The decision making process has become more important than the actual decision.
• The request for more information is never ending.
• "Decision making" is viewed in absolute terms of right or wrong and not one of "degrees".
• The culture does not encourage risk, empowerment or ownership.
• There just seems to be too many people involved.
• Lack of communication and transparency regarding what is happening.
• There is a belief of "being safe", as you can't be wrong if you do not make a decision.

All these points made from the perspective of a "follower".

And this weaves us back to the saying, "To know how to be a good leader, you need to know how to be a good follower".  As a leader, appreciating the perspective of the follower, you can work to remove those barriers that are impacting your team's ability to get things done.

So with that said, every so often take a trip down memory lane and remember those times you found yourself uttering the words "will someone please make a decision" with flair... then ask yourself, "Is there someone on my team who may be saying the same thing?" If so, remember you can make some changes regarding that... after all you are the leader.

And if you are a follower... soon enough you may find yourself as the leader, so make sure you are taking good notes.

iamgpe

The conviction of quality... an aspect of character.

Recently, I was reminded of the conviction of quality as I worked on a somewhat involved presentation that brought audio, video and graphics together... it was not a difficult exercise but it was laborious and at times a little "mind numbing."  

The presentation was spot on and was looking good until it was pointed out that one of the graphics had an indentation error; an error I might add that had escaped notice in earlier iterations. An error not easily fixed, that would involve three hours of deconstruction, and offer up mind numbing re-editing - An error that no one would notice, and even if they did, at no level did it impacted the message.

And so entered my veiled rationalizations. 

Qual·i·ty  (ˈkwä-lə-tē) is one of those words that offers two meanings where one is reflective and entwined with the other: a characteristic or feature that someone or something has and a high level of value or excellence - Inevitably leading you to ask the question, "Is my character one of excellence?" 

As I worked through my small presentation issue, a number of aspects with quality came to the forefront for me - 

• Excellence is something you are forever striving for and there is an understanding that you will become better with time, experience, and continued input.
• Mistakes will be made, and we inherently know that something can always be done better; if however you can look yourself in the mirror with the knowledge you did your best, then improvement is for another day.
•  If you find a mistake you need to fix it as quickly as you can; a knowable mistake is not reflective of quality.
• Mistakes lead to improvement, so learn from them, don't make them again, and move on.

In the end, I grumbled a little bit and then spent three hours of deconstruction and mind numbing re-editing to fix the indentation error. For me, it reinforced my conviction of quality, and as you may suspect, it made for an even better presentation. 

In the end, the small indentation error did matter, and I am better for it.

iamgpe