Leadership and Innovation Characteristics - Transforming Your STEM Career Through Leadership and Innovation - page 78

eliminate a department that contains valuable team members. Recall the discus-
sion about separating the vision from yourself and allowing it to stand as its own
entity. When considering the vision, the “value of the team members” remains
unchanged; however, the “value to the vision of the project” has changed. As the
leader, your commitment must be to the vision. Now, having said this, even with
commitment to the vision, it is essential that these situations be handled with
consideration, respect, and a demonstrated concern for those involved.
Other scenarios where tough decisions must be made could include realizing
a short-term loss right now in order to achieve a long-term goal in the future.
It could be strategic relationships that are not consistent with the organization,
requiring the elimination of non-performers, and individuals or departments
that don't support the corporate vision.
The tough decisions extend to impact our personal lives as we consider the
work-family balance. A tough decision could mean being away from home on
your child's birthday because your vision requires your presence on the road.
These are but a few of the many instances where your mind will need to override
your heart. Oftentimes, women are characterized as “leading from the heart.”
This should not be confused with thinking with your heart. Leading from the
heart is what gives you the passion and strength to fight your battles. Alterna-
tively, “thinking with our heart” can lead to decisions that are primarily based
on emotion rather than the demonstrated facts and support for the vision we say
we believe. A persistent focus on the vision with enlightened leadership, and
knowledge of the long-term impact of our decisions, coupled with logic and
reason are the tactics that enable us to make consistently good decisions.
Your ability to evaluate the pros and cons of a situation and make the correct
decisions is what makes you a leader. To make the proper evaluation you need to
be fully aware of the facts of the situation and the implications of your decision.
There are three things that will help you make the right decision: knowledge of
the facts, knowledge of the people involved, and experience. Are the unpleasant
implications of your decision worth it? Is the short-term loss worth the potential
future profits? You are the leader. You have to decide.
Once you have made your decision, stand by it. Never let your team see “you
waver” or uncommitted to your decision - these will percolate down to them
and demoralize them. The confidence you show in making your decisions will
be reflected in the confidence with which your team will follow you.
Indecisiveness is an unhealthy quality in a leader. As a leader, you are
required to make countless decisions and many of these involve difficult situa-
tions as well as uncertainty. Nonetheless, the decisions must be made. In these
situations, reduce the uncertainty by making sure you have as much information
as possible, reviewing relevant or common situations in other organizations, and,
if time permits, seek input from your team, mentors, and advisors. After you've
done this, make the decision and, most importantly, don't second guess yourself.
Move forward with the decision and accept responsibility as the leader for what-
ever consequences (good or bad) result from your decision.