Decisiveness Is the Mark of a True Leader

Decisiveness is the mark of a true leader. If you don’t believe me, just read through military history. Victorious commanders of past military campaigns were the greatest leaders the world has ever known. Dwight D. Eisenhower, George S. Patton, and Douglas MacArthur are twentieth century examples. In the distance past, Alexander the Great, William the Conqueror, and Saladin are examples of brilliant and decisive military leaders. Military commanders are taught to take decisive action when action is vital for the success of a mission. When a decision must be made you can rely on a seasoned leader who has been trained to protect the lives of soldiers on the field of battle. It is no coincidence that the best management personnel with whom I have been associated in the past just happened to be formerly high-ranking military officers. For one, they were not afraid to make a command decision. Afterward, they didn’t make a habit of second-guessing themselves. If a misjudgment was made, which was pretty rare, they took ownership of it and dealt with it in an equally decisive manner. Pop-culture does not paint the same picture of military leaders. You are supposed to believe that Captain Picard is wise when he asks Deanna Troy her opinion before he can even consider a command decision that could affect the entire crew of the star-ship Enterprise– let alone prevent an interstellar war. No, Picard was no leader in my book. He prefers a committee. A strong leader is one that can make important decisions without fear. If something does go wrong, the strong leader takes the bull by the horns and quickly fixes the problem. Rather than trying to use some sort of damage-control strategy, he or she takes ownership and bites the bullet– no passing the buck– no blaming others. Every business needs just such a leader at the helm. If congress were full of leaders, what a great country this would be. Think about it.