Good judgement is critical for making hard decisions.
But how do you get good judgement?
It is an ever-changing mix of thinking, instinct, experience, and character.
Joseph Badaracco, the John Shad Professor of Business Ethics at Harvard Business School, teaches leadership, strategy, corporate responsibility, and management, and says they are five practical questions that can improve your odds of making sound judgments.
When faced with a difficult decision, think about these factors:
- What are the net, net consequences of all my options? Who will be hurt or helped, short-term and long-term, by each option?
- What are my core obligations? What must we do to safeguard and respect the lives, rights, and dignity of our fellow men and women?
- What will work in the world as it is? What will work – seeing the world not as you would like it to be but as it is – if you bring persistence, dedication, creativity, prudent risk-taking, and political savvy to the task?
- Who are we? Think about your decision in terms of relationships, values, and norms. What really matters to your team, company, community, culture?
- What can I live with? Imagine yourself explaining your decision to a close friend or a mentor—someone you trust and respect deeply. Would you feel comfortable? How would that person react?
With hard, gray-area decisions, you can never be certain you got it right.
But with the questions above, you’ll know that you worked on the problem in the right way—not just as a good manager but as a thoughtful human being.
Have a great week.
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