When a Good Thing Turns Bad- June 2013 Business owners have to make tough decisions every day when it comes to money, people and customers. Most of the time the needs of the business force them to be decisive and follow their convictions; but some owners and executives are fearful of making decisions, even when the outcome would be highly regarded by all concerned. Some time ago I worked with an owner who asked the leadership team to develop a reorganization plan that would provide improved response time and problem resolution for their customers. Based on the team's recommendations and the new staff alignment that resulted from the reorganization, the owner felt it made sense to promote two respected directors, Bill and Steve, to vice president level. The two individuals were advised of the plan and told that it would be announced in the very near future after tying up some loose ends and advising some key stakeholders of the impending changes. Needless to say, both were energized and excited about the promotion and eagerly anticipated the time when they could tell their respective teams. Several weeks went by and the owner had still not made the organizational announcement. He continued to find reasons each week to postpone the event telling the team that the announcement would definitely be made next week. As each week passed, the enthusiasm Bill and Steve once had was gradually becoming anger and resentment. Steve even remarked, "Why is this so hard. I'm starting to feel that the owner doubts my ability and worthiness for the promotion and that's the reason he doesn't want to move forward. How could such a good thing feel so bad?" The owner's procrastination was a direct result of his fear of confrontation. He knew that announcing Bill's and Steve's promotions would be perceived by a few malcontents as unfair and he didn't want to risk confrontation or encounter anyone unhappy with the decision. There was no doubt that he had full confidence in Bill and Steve, but he couldn't overcome his tendency for conflict avoidance. As a result, when the announcement was finally made, neither Bill nor Steve showed much excitement. Both wondered, now that they were executives, how else would they be impacted by the owner's inability to make a decision. Most will agree that being a good leader often requires making unpopular decisions. While everyone won't agree with the decision, they will respect the fact that it has been made. It's great to be a people pleaser when you can but not at the risk of demotivating those that are key performers. Bill and Steve are still working for the owner and have learned how to adapt to his indecisiveness. They have found the best approach is to make the decision and ask for permission later. So far it seems to be working. If we can help your leaders or management team focus on making good things stay good, give us a call at 610-287-1162 or email me at phil@hrsolutionsonline.com. Have a safe and happy summer.