Leaders are remembered for their best and worst judgment calls, especially when the stakes are high, information is limited and the correct call is far from obvious. In the face of ambiguity, uncertainty and conflicting demands, the quality of a leader’s judgment and decision making determines the entire organization’s fate.
That’s why leadership experts Noel M. Tichy and Warren G. Bennis claim judgment is the essence of leadership. In their popular book, Judgment: How Winning Leaders Make Great Calls (Portfolio, 2007), they write: “With good judgment, little else matters. Without it, nothing else matters.”
But there’s no one-size-fits-all way to make a judgment call, the authors emphasize. Every organization has distinct problems, people and solutions.
A Framework for Judgment
A judgment call should not be viewed as a single-point-in-time event.
The process begins when leaders recognize the need for change and for a decision. They consequently frame and name the issue, set clear goals and objectives, align people and continue through successful execution.
Three Critical Judgment Domains
People: Leaders cannot set sound direction and strategy for their enterprises or deal with crises without smart judgment calls about the people on their teams. This is definitely the most complex domain. Sound judgments about people require leaders to:
- Anticipate the need for key personnel changes
- Specify leadership requirements with an eye toward the future – not the rearview mirror
- Mobilize and align the social network to support the right call
- Make the process transparent so it can be deemed fair
- Make it happen
- Provide continuous support to achieve success
Strategy: When the current strategic road fails to lead to success, the leader must find a new path. The quality and viability of a strategic judgment call is a function of:
1. The leader’s ability to look over the horizon and frame the right question
2. The people – both internal and external to the organization – with whom he/she chooses to interact
Crisis: During a crisis, leaders must have clear values and know their ultimate goals. A poorly handled crisis can lead to business failure.
The Process of Making Judgment Calls
In all three domains, good decision making always involves a process that starts with recognizing the need for the call, with steps that facilitate effective execution.
- The Preparation Phase: This phase includes sensing and identifying the need for a judgment call, framing and naming the judgment call, and mobilizing and aligning the right people. While these steps may seem obvious, many factors can contribute to faulty framing and naming, which can result in a bad judgment call. For example, what is your process to separate symptoms from underlying causes? It’s important to allow “redo moments” and continually adjust to get it right.
- The Call Phase (Making the Judgment Call): There’s a moment when leaders make the call, based on their views of the time horizon and the sufficiency of people’s input and involvement.
- The Execution/Action Phase: Once a clear call is made, execution is a critical part of the process. Resources, people, capital, information and technology must be mobilized to make it happen. During this phase, feedback loops allow for adjustments.
Your Storyline and Why it Matters
Winning leaders are teachers, and they teach by telling stories. They develop a teachable point of view: valuable knowledge and experiences that convey ideas and values to energize others.
This teachable point of view is most valuable when it is woven into a storyline for the organization’s future success. As a living story, it helps the leader make the judgment call and makes the story become reality because it enlists and energizes others.
Winning story lines address three areas:
- Where are we now?
- Where are we going? (The inspirational storyline boosts the motivation for change and defines the goal)
- How are we going to get there?
If judgment calls are difficult for you, or if you have difficulty creating the storyline for your organizational vision, it’s probably time to revisit these 3 key, strategic questions.