Four lessons learned for how to make good decisions — All the Way Leadership Blog

Captain Goofball asked for my advice before making a big decision. Did he need to fire someone on his leadership team? I asked what his gut was telling him. Captain Goofball said every part of him was saying to fire the guy. His subpar subordinate was a low performer with a bad attitude. Do it was my recommendation. He thanked me for my input. I was a Company Commander in the Army, wondering if I was experiencing a lessons learned moment for making good decisions. My hunch was correct.

Things went from bad to worse

Captain Goofball did not fire the person. Problems got worse. His unit’s performance declined quickly. It was a direct result of Captain Goofball’s reluctance to replace a low-performing leader. Everyone knew how to solve the problem — fire the guy. Captain Goofball eventually was moved into a new position because he had made a bad decision. He chose to do nothing about the problem and paid the price.