Leading So People Will Follow

Deciding, When You Must

Courage in a leader also often entails acting on limited data. For instance, a CEO may face a choice about whether to invest in a new, expensive technology that involves acquiring an uncomfortable level of debt, but that also seems to have a strong potential for supporting the long-term growth of the company by making core processes much more scalable. The leader’s team may be divided as to how to proceed; they feel it’s risky, but they also see the potential upside. And they know the clock is ticking: the longer they wait to make the decision, the more likely it is that any competitive benefits from having the new technology in place will evaporate. So they look to the leader. If he has courage, he will make the best ...