Choosing Right
Michael White
Global Sales Manager | Operational Efficiency & Leadership Excellence. Believer. GirlDad 2X. Golf Nut.
I talk to my team continually about making the right choices. It is something I badger them about. The consequences of making bad choices are expensive. Often, when we are faced with a decision, we have two options, the fast/easy route and the right/difficult way. Most of us, can look back at our lives and see when we made the fast decision and regret not making the right decision.
In our work lives, we rationalize this choice. We use terms like, 'taking care of the customer', 'winning the day', or even laying the blame at the foot of competition. But the reality is that we are creating opportunities for mistakes and chaos when we choose to cut corners, jump over processes and ignore standard operating procedures. The fast way is easy, it increases production, satisfies our appetite for goal attainment. But if you did not do things the right way, is there any honor in that success?
Processes exist to protect us from ourselves. They are an insurance policy against taking the fast and easy bridges. How convenient life would be if it were fast, easy and uncomplicated. But, life is not that way. Life is hard. Work is difficult. We burden our teams when we ask them to jump through hoops. We punish them when we ask them to skip steps or ignore rules. It is a culture we create, nurture and affirm.
As managers and leaders, we are the protectors of the health and wellness of our organizations. If we do not choose right, who will? If we encourage our people to ignore policies for the sake of a short term win, we are justifying every action our people will make when they are faced with a similar decision. We are teaching them to cheat and condoning it as being materially beneficial.
On the other hand, we could cultivate excellence in our teams and our actions. We can create a culture of execution and expectation, demanding the best of ourselves and our teams by living up to our standards and commitments, ensuring that by doing things the right way, we can fully and completely stand behind what we do and how we do it.
It is the choice we make. As leaders, we choose. As managers, we choose. #ChooseRight.