TAKING THE SWING

Action needs courage and the same applies to making a decision.

Teamwork and leadership has many occurrences and situations that call for decision making that comes with its fair share of boldness. Alexander the Great mastered the art of taking a swing at things and he was always courageous to lead from the front. This action heavily motivated his team of soldiers to conquer lands that their ancestors deemed unsurmountable.

Taking a swing is the ability or the decision to take action with resolute focus. In the modern workplace that has diverse teams of varying genders, cultures, professions and backgrounds, decision making is at the heart of leadership and collective problem solving. As much as teams are encouraged to embrace the differences that come with diversity, they are also encouraged to put their differences aside during decision making.

Having a lag in taking action can prove to be costly for a team because of fear of the unknown. This is where the leadership style and culture become a key determinant in problem solving agility. A leader should learn to gather courage while also involving the team through the process. However there comes a moment when an executive decision is needed from the leader and this has to be in alignment with the team's vision.

There's the fear of consequences but the beauty of continuous learning and improvement is gathering lessons from our failures and not being emotionally attached to outcomes. Teams should learn to embrace failure and mistakes as long as they are not being repeated. This creates the best learning opportunities for teams that also value the importance of nurturing a collective ownership and accountability that leaves no room for blame shifting.

So go forth and take a swing.

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