Choose a strategy to fit the situation and see the cost of always relying on one.
Choosing a strategy
Three questions before you choose
1. What does a mistake cost, and how much time is there? A production fire is no place for a long search for consensus: competition fits when the cost of delay is higher than the cost of an imperfect decision. But the red button works only if it isn't pressed every day: people stop bringing the truth to someone who always pushes.
2. Whose area of expertise is it, and what matters more in the long run? If the question is in someone else's area and the cost of a mistake is small, give in. Deliberate accommodation builds trust. The trap: a concession made under pressure and passed off as agreement runs up a tab that will be presented one day.
3. Can we talk about the substance right now? If emotions are running high or the question is minor, pause. But avoidance works only with a date for coming back: “let's come back to this on Thursday.” A pause without a date isn't a strategy; it's hoping it will sort itself out. It won't — see the escalation ladder.
Before you choose
- 1Cost and time
An expensive mistake and burning deadlines — you can push. But rarely.
- 2Expertise
Someone else's area, a reversible cost — give in deliberately.
- 3State of mind
Emotions running high, or a trivial issue — a pause with a date to come back.
Lesson notes
Three questions before you choose
1. What does a mistake cost, and how much time is there? A production fire is no place for a long search for consensus: competition fits when the cost of delay is higher than the cost of an imperfect decision. But the red button works only if it isn't pressed every day: people stop bringing the truth to someone who always pushes.
2. Whose area of expertise is it, and what matters more in the long run? If the question is in someone else's area and the cost of a mistake is small, give in. Deliberate accommodation builds trust. The trap: a concession made under pressure and passed off as agreement runs up a tab that will be presented one day.
3. Can we talk about the substance right now? If emotions are running high or the question is minor, pause. But avoidance works only with a date for coming back: “let's come back to this on Thursday.” A pause without a date isn't a strategy; it's hoping it will sort itself out. It won't — see the escalation ladder.