We live in a complex world, where almost every argument has a seemingly valid counter-argument. Where every decision is balanced and could go one way or the other.
But your job as the CEO of your business is to make things simple for your team, so they make decisions confident that they are following the strategy. At Sendo we called this the Principles. You establish a set of principles and every decision that needs to be made flows from one of them.
For example, "We won't compromise on quality, period."
That's clear and tells people how they need to act without checking in every time. Sure, you can always rationalise a decision on why you accepted lower quality - was it really so bad that that little problem slipped through? But if you're clear on no-compromise, can explain why it's so important and you're consistent in its enforcement, then people get the message and their behaviour will adapt accordingly. They may even carry the mantra with them, ensuring quality (or your equivalent principle) is prioritised throughout the organisation.
I think simplicity is vital. In the 2024 UK election campaign, the Labour Party's mantra was, "Country First, Party Second". That is so clear. It was a kick in the guts to the Conservative Party, where infighting was embedded in their culture at the expense of running the country. And it told every single Labour activist how they were expected to behave - brilliant.
But it is as important to explain why. For the Labour Party it is about being there to serve. They are not there to act as entitled, aloof and out of touch. Their constituents expect them to work every day for them.
I'm not suggesting that running a business, or running a country, is simple. But you've got to show your team what the end result is, explain why this is the goal and draw the simplest possible path to get there.
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