Leadership involves trying to find the golden mean in any situation. The golden mean is the virtuous point that lies somewhere between extremes (vices).
In the current financial downturn (which may well get worse), there are two extremes that have to be avoided. One is panic. Panic often looks like slashing budgets.
These decisions can seem sensible, but they can also (perhaps unwittingly) hamstring the organization. Bottom-line decisions are not enough.
The other is punting. This is “kicking the can down the road.”
When we punt, we postpone decisions sometimes until it’s too late. This can be fear-based or driven by analysis paralysis. We want more information. The truth is, all decisions will be made on incomplete information.
My philosophy is that we’re not going to panic, and we’re not going to punt.
We’ll make mission-driven decisions before we make money-driven decisions.
I’m reframing our current turmoil in the positive by asking what does this change make possible that seemed impossible just weeks ago?
Jeff Gissing 