I think it was Albert Camus, the existentialist novelist, who said, “Life is the sum of all our choices.” In other words, it’s the decisions we make – or fail to make – that determine the life we live.
It’s the same in business. Your own organisation, for instance, is the sum of all the decisions and choices made by its leaders, managers and colleagues, both past and present. Your best chance of success exists when these choices have consistency and coherence and when decisions are mutually supportive rather than taking the business in different directions.
As a result, you must find a way to help align those decisions and choices. A clear purpose and mission, a compelling and focused strategy and an over-arching performance goal are all ways of building alignment and encouraging consistency. They act as a compass for decision-making, establishing a ‘true north’ for decisions so that everyone ends up at the same destination.
How strong and effective is your organisational compass, and how is it helping your teams and managers to make consistent and coherent choices and decisions?
Off The Record: A Town Called Malice by The Jam
A whole street’s belief
In Sunday’s roast beef
Gets dashed against the Co-op
To either to cut down on beer or the kids’ new gear
It’s a big decision in a town called malice!
© Stuart Cross 2018. All rights reserved.