I am still reading Doug Feith’s book “War & Decision”, about the lead-up to and conduct of the Iraq War. In it, he mentions some lessons learned that I think can also be helpful in everyday business affairs. Here are a few of his thoughts that I have heavily paraphrased:
Don’t pretend to know more than you know. Don’t be categorical when you should be tentative.
When making decisions, seek out important information, even when it is hard to obtain.
Don’t scorn information from outside sources. Don’t assume that the only reliable information comes from inside your organization.
Don’t be wedded to preconceptions. Maintain a scholarly or scientific frame of mind. Don’t be an ideologue to whom facts don’t matter.
Be honorable about organizational secrets. Don’t leak information you receive because of your position.
Be professional. Your organization’s president has earned the right to make policy and to expect honest support. You can disagree but you still need to support those policies. If you find that you can’t, find another job.
Easier to say than to do?
1 comment:
I have found that last one a toughie. I hung around waiting for a particular policy maker to move on as we shared virtually no common ground. 1.5 years later she was gone but it was a pretty painful wait.
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