…but it doesn’t come naturally. [1]
A business owner once said to me, “You make pretty good decisions.” At the time, I was working hard to gain operating control of a $250 million business. I had run a business previously but nothing of this size. What did her comment really mean?
Good decisions are usually based on the exercise of good judgment.
According to Bennis and Tichy, judgment is the core of leadership. [2] Some of the elements of effective judgment include:
- Having had relevant prior experiences
- Drawing appropriate lessons from those experiences
- Integrating those prior experiences through contemplation and reflection
- Access to valid sources of timely information
- Openness to new or different ideas and insights
- Having and exhibiting character – integrity, independence and objectivity
Judgment may not come naturally but it can be learned.
