VII. Arrogance

    Humans can be such arrogant creatures. Arrogance and pride pop up all too frequently in discourse: We are quick to point out our successes or special abilities and slow to point out our failures or personal shortcomings. There is some fear underpinning this behavior, but also some selfishness as well: fear of embarrassment, plus, perhaps, the selfish pursuit of winning the respect or admiration of others, simultaneously working in tandem within our minds.

    Effective leaders have learned how to manage and discipline these emotional defaults, replacing these cognitive shortcomings by something more humble, considerate and compassionate. Effective leaders silently ponder new ideas rather than immediately discounting them based on personal prior experience(s), thereby remaining open-minded, courteous and thoughtful. They perceive themselves as fortunate in occupying the positions they hold and considerately, but quickly, lend assistance or guidance to their subordinates and/or co-workers.

VIII. A Decision-making Rule

    Yet they must also remain cautious. And, naturally, cautiousness is an outgrowth of compassion toward our fellow human beings. We cannot be 100% cautious if we don't care about ourselves and all those around us. The effective leader imagines unsafe scenarios that could lead to accidents and works hard at preventing such predicaments from ever occurring. Regardless of how desirous a possible outcome to some particular decision may be, one small possible unsafe contingency is enough to warrant a complete halt to that decision's implementation, at least until the unsafe contingency in question is entirely prevented or somehow mitigated into something more manageable (or until all the other alternatives turn out to be worse than the unsafe contingency in question).

    And so it is when, at the outset, we must consider our own personal competence for a decision-making role that we may have been offered or somehow fallen into. "Do I have all the knowledge, experience, access to information and resources necessary to effectively and competently occupy this occupation or position? Am I familiar with all the potential consequences, all possible implications?" If not, lacking ANY particular item of data, know-how or resource may later lead to a totally unexpected and unwanted outcome. You won't be able to excuse yourself later with, "Oh! I just didn't know about that!" if you don't take the necessary precautions NOW!

    Always must we remember that how accurately we may perceive a situation subsequently determines how effectively we may think about it — imagine and prepare for it. If we overlook any tiny subtlety in our initial perception, all our subsequent planning will likely prove erroneous, and we may just have to start all over again. Wrong perceptions likely lead to wrong decisions. So, the lesson is simple: Either you know everything about the situation or you don't. (What you don’t know can hurt you!) And either you can imagine everything that you don't know with the time and resources which you may have available or you cannot. As a professional decision-maker, fear and worry should become your predominant guides to all decision-making, more so than trust or confidence. Certainly at times, because maybe of the complexities associated with a particular task or because of all that may be going about, we may find ourselves having to delegate some of our direct duties and functions, but never at the expense of simply checking to make sure that our delegates are indeed fulfilling their roles competently, meticulously, completely and carefully.

    If we lack any knowledge, information or resource in any given role as decision-maker that could hinder our capacity to discover or select an (there is not necessarily one, unique) optimal solution to a given problem, maybe we may at least find a good, safe, viable solution that can be improved upon in time, assuming that we will later possess the ability and motivation to do so. But, if that is not the case and no viable and safe solution can be arrived at due to, perhaps, certain limitations or constraints imposed upon us, the only responsible course of action would then be to hand the task over to another who is not suffering from similar or other constraints.

    We must never scoff at subtle, calamitous possibility. Don't "shrug off" a possible dire consequence to a particular decision's implementation due to your own personal disbelief, especially out of a personal attempt to attain an alternate highly desirous consequence to the same decision. Keep in mind that personal beliefs and experiences DO fail us, that there is NEVER any substitute to Putting Safety First.

    Just remember that ... however insignificant ... however isolated or remote ... however improbable it may be ... one miniscule possibility for a tragic outcome to a decision DOES suffice to bar that particular decision's implementation ... unless and until that single, unmanageable, tragic possibility can somehow be prevented or mitigated into some other more benign possible outcome (or, again, until all the other alternative outcomes turn out to be worse than the unsafe contingency in question). Otherwise, you may find yourself later facing a dire situation that could have been easily prevented at the outset ... with one priceless, simple decision.

IX. Exception to the Rule?

    At first glance, an exception seems to be in order for the above rule. That is,

One miniscule possibility for a tragic outcome to a decision suffices to bar that particular decision's implementation ... unless and until that single, unmanageable, tragic possibility can somehow be prevented or mitigated into some other more benign possible outcome (or unless all the other alternative outcomes turn out to be worse than the unsafe contingency in question).

    From what follows, however, it seems to still hold true....

    As always, in the way of selecting the "most prudent" courses of action, we must consider all the pros and cons to each possible decision to be made. We must rack our minds and use our imaginative and analytical capabilities to the fullest to discover what other possible approaches there may be so that we may compare and contrast their feasibilities. This way, it is hoped, may we avoid doing something that could lead to some undesirable or unwanted outcome by preparing for that possible contingency in advance.

    As true as that may be, there seems to be something that we're overlooking. What about a possible beneficial or exceedingly desirable outcome to the above "contingency in question" as a highly likely consequence of that particular decision's implementation in light of becoming complacent with an undesirable outcome common to "all the other possible alternatives?" This may seem a bit vague, so an example is in order below.

    First, though, I must point out that such a possibility is unlikely in the business world, where decisions are linked to monetary amounts or other capital gains/losses. In such cases, NO decision could yield a possible beneficial or highly desirable capital gain that would suffice to warrant overlooking a possible tragic outcome (loss of life, limb or quality of life).

    In the medical and political worlds, however, where decisions of life, limb or quality of life are not so rare, the stipulation, "unless all the other alternative outcomes turn out to be worse than the unsafe contingency in question," begins to bear a more significant meaning.

EXAMPLE:
Consider, for instance, a transplant operation where one kidney from a living relative is donated to another whose survival is at stake without it. Here, "one miniscule possibility for a tragic outcome" to the operation certainly holds true. Yet, the beneficial outcome associated with a successful operation would be considered highly likely, considering the skill of our modern surgeons. Becoming complacent with "all the other alternatives," of course, would yield a loss of life. The "other alternative outcomes turn out to be worse than the unsafe contingency in question."

    Among humans, the decision that yields the greatest compassionate outcome among all other alternatives always achieves greatest priority and preferred final implementation. So, our thinking mustn't become fixated on our present or immediate situation. Though this may at times be difficult to actually do, especially when we find ourselves short on resources and/or time, when possible always should we bear in mind that we must consider not only those conclusive and consequential outcomes to our own self-propelled actions/ideas but also, above all, responsibility for our own past mistakes. In short, always must we prepare for future possibility, compensate for past error, and select compassionately and judiciously among all present alternatives.

X. Briefly ... Before Continuing

    The lesson is this: Care to Prepare. Concern to Make Sure. And Responsibility for past error. Competence at carrying out a professional task isn’t defined merely by passing grades and good test scores — though at the outset these are of vital importance! — but also by reminding oneself, researching to learn more, and perhaps even practicing one’s craft in a trivial way prior to actual execution. Experience is, has always been, and always shall remain ... a good teacher. Effort and interest to excel then tag along to goad you toward perfecting your craft. Though you may know, experience exposes what you may have forgotten or mentally trivialized in some way. And though you may be experienced, effort and interest show you nuances obvious to only the proficient. True competence is an extension of true interest in one’s chosen craft! In the end, the best aren’t the best because of some odd luck or rare chance, but primarily because of true interest, dedication and drive to conquer the knowledge that defines what they study and practice. They know it, because they want to know it. They find it fascinating!

    In this regard, professional decision-making is no different from any other professional field. We professionals do it, because we love it. We find it fascinating and truly love what we do! Experience has taught us the joys associated with working hard and gaining total overview over each new situation we encounter. Our reward is the actual accomplishment, the Right end result each and every time. A lot of mental (and physical!) stress may at times be required to reach it, depending upon the complexity of each new situation, but personal pride for a final job well done — thoroughly imagined, researched, consulted, prepared for, checked against and executed — keeps us going time and time again. We find ourselves constantly perfecting and improving upon prior accomplishments, consistently preparing for ALL possibilities. As mentioned above, sometimes we may find ourselves having to delegate authoritative control, but never at the expense of concern to check up on matters so as to make sure everything is indeed progressing as we had initially planned.

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