Decision making: The art of getting it right

"Professor, you have all the answers; why don't you tell us what we should be doing? What do you think we are missing for our new horizon as a company?"

The CEO is a very old hand, and he knows I will be brutally honest, even more so than his own wife. I have to humbly say I wish I had all the answers, but I do not, I do have some observations I state. 

Yet, I am often left thinking to myself, could I not be doing something more productive with my time than to sit in another board room with glass on all sides like a museum exhibition piece, filled with a dozen over-leather chairs and very elderly or middle-aged men and women all trying very hard to look and seem competent at something?

That thing is: Their own job. Yes, the job one is paid to be an expert in. The one you are supposedly a manager or leader in. The one where you should have sector knowledge, or if you don't, then you should have surrounded yourself with people who do and who will tell you what you should know and need to know, NOT what you think you want to hear or have delusions about.

This remains an issue in large public government institutions right the way up to large multinational corporations. I have had the misfortune to witness both such scenarios and to see this become the complete inter-ballistic verbal slinging match in board rooms. Rather than address the problems, or say, let me go away and learn and get the right information on that, I have seen senior board leaders crumble at the simple question. The basic question, in fact.

The question of "Where is the real problem here? Are you part of the problem, or do you hope to be a solution? Do we have all the information and understanding to make an informed decision that is not right because you were getting hungry but was the right decision for the entire company today, tomorrow, and the next day?" Often, most managers are not even being honest with themselves or the board with their decision-making tree.

Was this an educated and non-ego-based decision that you are putting all your experience on? Or are you just trying to find clever ways to hide the truth and not being honest with everyone in the room? Is this you speaking or your alter ego? 

Therein puts added pressure on the CEO as they try not to embarrass anyone, least of all themselves; when it transpires, they themselves have no clue. They have literally checked out and are goofing around some tea hills in Sylhet or sitting in a sun lounger in the Maldives!

"Shall we break for lunch?" I say the tense standoff is never easy on an empty stomach. It also gives me an opportunity to speak to all parties individually to get a better assessment of the board dynamics and the politics of leadership decisions. In most cases, I very rarely get time to eat, but at least I can have a dessert with confidence!

As most know, there are really only two types of CEOs: mediocre ones and bad ones. The real good ones don't need to be told they are good; they have usually left the institution by the time the rest of the leadership circle has figured it out. 

Yet, most CEOs regardless of sector are very unyielding and often rather sadistic, and so they often love the theatrics of this as like gladiators they watch as the rest of the senior team shouts, "Are you not entertained?". Clearly not. It's a power and hierarchy trip that is about as entertaining as watching reruns of Highway to Heaven last shown on TV in the 1980s!

Then you get the usual whispering of why we need an external person from outside to help us? How and why has the CEO just got a random know-it-all not part of the organisation, me, to tell him he knows as much about the topic he spoke on or has given direction on as I do about how to recreate a gulab jamun from scratch? It's never going to happen. 

So what are the learnings from this for those lucky to be applying their sweat on the leather seats in the boardroom looking to be the most decisive CEO?

Firstly, always know your limitations. A common misconception on the board is that one has to be all-encompassing. Incorrect, one has to be inclusive, and aware of all things, but not be afraid to seek help to further understand, and not be afraid to continually update one's self-learning.

Yes, self-learning. Why do I need to do self-learning? I have been leading for longer than the earth you are born on and wearing nappies, Professor. Correct, but that is why I am not the one needing Botox, my friend! 

To which all one has to say to that CEO: look at your P&L sheet and see how that went. Continual improvement and continual learning are part of a wider package of professional development, which is often lacking in most corporations for senior teams. Yet, new or old, one still has to continue in this same frame of development.

Second, appreciate and clearly delineate lines of demarcation. So do not tread on everyone's toes. You don't have to always have the last word every time to remind yourself you are not mute. However, knowing your area of expertise is good but does not mean you should not have a more global view of the organisation as a whole. This means you have to do something that most Southeast Asian parents don't tell their kids to do.

"Be a team player." What they cry, you cannot be first if you are a team player. There is no A in Team, he says till he realises that the alphabet was spelt wrong all this time! Shame. There is no point in being a Lone Ranger when making large organisational changes, and that is where being an effective team player and one who is respected by all is a must.

Finally, learn to communicate better than you are now. This is especially true in the science, technology, and medicine sectors. There is a tendency with tech- or profession-based sectors, even banking sectors, to assume all in the room are understanding them. I used to think that, till I realised most people only nod their heads due to the force of gravity, which is too much for their heads to stay up.

They actually do not understand nor do they want to tell you that you have not explained nor told them what it is you are asking them to do. So be clear, repeat, ask them to repeat what their understanding is, and the best I employ is to ask them to email you their understanding after the meeting. Then you have written proof of how wrong you were in your original assessment that you are a great communicator.

Jokes aside, the more effective and sincere the communicator, the more efficient and effective lines of operation tend to be. People respect honesty and integrity more than being right all of the time. Being a genuine leader means that.

With all this quality knowledge, this should now enable the leader to make a more informed and evidence-based decision. One which takes all, not just a few with them in the decision flow. In the end, making decisions is easy if they are wrong; it's making the right one all the time and making sure everyone can understand your rationale that makes it an art form. The trick is not to think you are any better at making them than the intern, no matter how many years you have been in the boardroom.

Rameen Shakur, MD, PhD (Cantab), FRSA, FIBMS, FRSPH, FRSB is a professor of Genomics and Cardiovascular Medicine and Director of the Centre for Precision Health and Translational Medicine at the University of Brighton, UK.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinions and views of The Business Standard.