Deciding Is Easy. Consequences Are the Work.

"How do you know when to move?" A colleague once asked me that, and I still think about it. How do you draw the line between allowing so much input that you can't decide, and acting?

I told him that decisions are easy. People get so caught up in the act of deciding that they forget what matters most: the consequences. What will this decision solve for? What will it set in motion three or four steps from now?

That conversation gets to the heart of why so many leaders fail to be open-minded. They listen. What they get wrong is treating action as the goal, rather than the outcome the action creates.

Speed Is Not Strength

Leaders are under enormous pressure to move fast. Analysis arrives in seconds, markets shift overnight, and boards and investors expect decisive responses to every disruption. It is tempting to equate speed with strength.

But speed without open-mindedness produces fragile decisions. Directives issued from the corner office often fail to gain traction because the leader never considered how they would land, who they would affect, or what they would break. Complacency sets in when people assume things are working, or will work themselves out. Over time, trust erodes and people retreat into groups of those who think like them.

Leaders fail to be open-minded in three predictable ways, and each has a remedy.

1. They Don't See Beyond the Obvious

Most of us were trained to be linear thinkers. That training gives us tunnel vision. We see the opportunity directly in front of us and miss what lies around the corner.

When you see beyond the obvious, you can anticipate the unexpected and manage change before circumstances force your hand. Performance isn't only about doing things faster or smarter. It is about having the awareness to course correct before you act. Without that awareness, even well-intended decisions create chaos.

2. They Don't Bring Others In Early Enough

There is so much uncertainty that reacting quickly is not always the best course of action. Instead, step back and bring others into the conversation sooner, and let them have real influence.

Only when you are vulnerable enough to open your mind to other perspectives will you realize you don't have to be right all the time. Too often, leaders unintentionally encourage the opposite: compliance. Compliance produces closed thinking, not big thinking. If you recognize yourself here, it may be worth reflecting on the hidden cost of always needing to be right.

3. They Think the Decision Is the Hard Part

It doesn't matter what industry you're in or how many people you employ. Leaders cannot just keep doing things to set the tone. Eventually they need to understand the whole system and how its parts connect. That can't happen when everyone lives in silos.

If you decide based on what you think is right without understanding the impact, you are deciding for the moment, not for sustainability. That applies whether the decision is a reorganization, a new technology or a new return to office policy.

Adopt an Innovation Mentality

If leaders want to evolve and be truly open-minded, they need to harness the power of different ways of thinking to create a mindset for renewal, reinvention and growth. I call this the innovation mentality, and it follows four steps:

• See with broadened observation: Look for opportunities beyond the obvious and anticipate the unexpected so you are not blindsided.
• Sow with extensive innovation: Plant those opportunities by courageously unleashing people's passionate pursuits.
• Grow with strategic focus: Build momentum with an entrepreneurial spirit while remaining adaptable.
• Share with generous purpose: Share the opportunity and momentum with others, and lead to leave a legacy that multiplies success.

To be open-minded, you can't simply say "go" or "no go." You have to take your ideas through each of these steps and think more about legacy and less about internal politics.

Trace the Decision Three Steps Out

Take the decision sitting on your desk right now and walk it forward. Who will feel the impact first, and have you heard from them? What might it break three steps from now? Whose perspective are you dismissing only because you don't like it? What problem does it actually solve? And if it goes wrong, how will you know early enough to correct it? If you can't answer those questions, you haven't finished deciding.

Evolution Requires a Different Mindset

Change is too often driven by fear, distrust and uncertainty. That kind of change leads to substitution, swapping one thing for another, and it slows progress. But reacting against change can be just as damaging when it dismisses the concerns of the other side.

Evolution is different. It leads to reinvention and growth. You can't evolve when division overpowers your ability to stay open-minded. Division perpetuates silos and never produces the sustainable change you seek. The open-minded leader understands that the decision is only the beginning of the work.

Want to explore these ideas further? Learn more about my work on leadership, identity and conviction at www.theglennllopis.com.