by Ian Buchanan

Created on: November 24, 2009

I once worked for a manager who was the nicest man you could ever meet. He was genuine to the hilt and only ever had the interest of the employee on his heart. He had a real knack when it came to hiring staff, and he went out of his way to make sure that even the slightest accomplishment was recognized: major achievements were special events so that the entire company would be aware when one of his people rose to the top in whatever it was they were doing. Birthdays and babies were celebrated, and he and his wife excelled by opening their home for the Christmas party. Virtually every manager under his jurisdiction eventually reached Senior Manager or Director status in the company.

The trouble was that, while the work was stimulating and rewarding, meeting with the man one on one was pure torture. In the actual work of the department he couldn't make initial decisions without hours of deliberation to make sure that every possible angle, and every impossible angle had been covered, over and over again. It was my misfortune to be in the office next to him, and there was nothing more dreadful than to see him pop around and say Got a minute? We were all encouraged to keep each other aware of what projects we were working on and to pass on any information we had that might be useful, and most found this to help the overall performance of the department. The downside was that when each of us got the dreaded invitation the scope of the conversation could range not only about what the manager was trying to think through, it could also touch on other areas that were within others' jurisdiction.

Anybody could be the sounding board for any new idea or initiative, and that's why we all kept our heads down whenever the manager was doing his MBWA. It was just my luck that when I was recruited the only empty office was the one next to his.

Most torturous were the monthly staff meetings because they would inevitably be daylong events.

Despite all of the lost time and the indecisiveness, this manager achieved major results through the dedication and the loyalty of his employees. Corporate objectives were met with few exceptions, and employees were rewarded and promoted at a higher rate than most other departments. While we all groaned at our one on one discussions about the latest thinking, the manager rarely interfered with our projects once they had been handed off: he trusted most of us to get on with the work and only get back to him before completion if we hit a road block. It was always easier and faster to talk with a colleague than go back to the manager.

The point is that decisiveness at all costs isn't necessarily the best option if the decision is speed without quality. Indecisiveness as a shortfall, behind a belief in delegation, can achieve better and more consistent goals than in an environments that's all about short, sharp direction.

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