Deliberate Together, Decide Alone

As the primary leader of an organization, I think this is a pretty important principle. In almost every decision I make, I deliberate with a team, but have to own the final decision alone. I haven't always been very good at this, but it's an area I'm working to be better.

If you deliberate a decision alone, you'll almost always miss something important. Bringing a team around the table to help you process decisions will always help shed light on the situation, even if you think you know the answer. Recently I needed to make a fairly difficult personnel decision, and was confident I knew the direction I wanted to go. But I brought as many people as I could bring around the table (keeping in mind confidentiality) to help think through the decision with me. In the end, I went with my first instinct, but had the confidence of knowing I wasn't missing something obvious in the process.

We deliberate together, but when it comes time to pull the trigger on a decision, as the primary leader in a specific area, I have to own the decision on my own. The quickest way to stop getting quality input from the people around you is to throw them under the bus as soon as you make a hard decision. It's also the quickest way to undermine your own leadership in someone else's eyes.

I told you: I haven't always been very good about this. Last year about this time we had to make a couple of tough decisions within our young adult ministry. I brought a team around me and processed the decision with them. We came up with a solution that would work well, actually helping us to excel in the future, but also one that would cause a couple of people to have some significant heartburn. I pulled the trigger and owned the decision publicly, but privately during discussions with some of the people who were upset, I pointed the finger at the team. That's not great leadership.

If you've got a tough decision to make, pull as many people as you can around the table, and ask for their input. Be honest that you may or may not choose to take their advice, but that you value their opinion and need their help. Deliberate together, but when it comes time to pull the trigger, own it alone.