Euro 2024 recently threw up a moment of hen’s teeth rarity when Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo, a player known for his single-mindedness and ruthless goalscoring, passed to a colleague in a slightly better position to take the shot. His actions shifted the outcome from likely to certain as the goal was duly scored.
In football players have a split second to make such a decision. In business we generally have the luxury of more time. Yet are we using that time wisely? As leaders we can convince ourselves it’s all down to us. Hierarchy and conventional thinking tend to reinforce this mindset for some.
Such thinking and ensuing action are limiting in a number of ways. If we choose to do it all ourselves we are restricting opportunities for others to learn and grow and constraining the expansion of our team and organisation’s capability. And if we project forward, are we setting up a sustainable future?
We may have people better placed in terms of knowledge, expertise, ability. If we don’t include them we are likely giving a message that we don’t have much faith or trust in them and we are putting relationships and, ultimately, their presence at risk.
And we must also give quality time and attention to our significant decisions, considering the system they affect not just the immediate scenario. Seeking the thoughts of others to gather a range of perspectives including those different to our own. And then taking time to reflect, to connect with our intuition – to check what the situation is calling for beyond the facts.
We know wise choices are the stuff of great leadership so putting ourselves in the best position to make them is an investment worth making.