Post date: Apr 12, 2016 7:10:26 AM
It is easy to judge a decision as right or wrong in hind sight. But, at the time of making a decision, it is enormously difficult to choose which one is right and which one isn't. Steve Jobs, the founder of Apple, famously said that we can connect the dots only looking backward, not forward. He was only half correct!
JRD Tata, the legendary founder of the TATA group was once shown by his firm's accounting professionals how the company could avoid a lot of taxes by using a loophole in the law. He was further assured by his managers that in doing so, they were doing nothing illegal or wrong. His simple question to them was: "But, is it right?"
JRD Tata was connecting the dots looking forward. TATA is today the most trusted brand in India!
People always want to make correct decisions, not necessarily the right decisions. For doing this, they rely on data and reasoning. A decision which is correct, given the circumstances, may not always necessarily be the right one. For example, it may be correct to avoid taxes using a loophole in the law, but is it the right decision to make? Probably not.
Great leaders are not as much data-driven as they are driven by their 'inner voices'. They are driven by their principles, values and intuition. They take decisions that they believe are right, even if those decisions are not necessarily the most convenient ones for them.
Backed with this power of conviction, they then work tirelessly to prove their decisions right which is nothing but another way of connecting the dots looking forward. In this, they may confront temporary setbacks, but since their power comes from deep within, they are neither overwhelmed by the enormity of the challenges nor swayed by the 'political incorrectness' charges of their critics.
Thus, leaders rely on the strength of their principles, values and the 'inner voice' to gain the vision to connect the dots looking forward.