Compromise Only On Less Important Issues

In my three decades of consulting, and observing a number of leaders, I have discovered a disturbing pattern. Somehow, all too many leaders believe that compromise is a necessary virtue of leadership. This has probably come about because many leadership seminars and publications have addressed the need that leaders have to form a consensus, in order to get things accomplished. While that is unfortunately true, leaders who compromise on every thing are not leaders!

Leadership requires knowing when to compromise, and when to "fight for one's beliefs." A true leader should not, and cannot compromise on everything. While it is true that leaders should "pick and choose their battles," that is far different than "folding like a cheap suitcase."

One lesson I routinely teach during my leadership training programs is that leaders must learn how to set priorities. They must prioritize what and when they wish to get certain things done and accomplished, and what is the most important central core or theme to their agenda. It is impossible to actually lead without creating goals that one wants to accomplish. This means creating priorities, as well as creating an effective action plan, to effectively accomplish those goals.

Many individuals in leadership positions never set priorities or create a list of goals. They "rule from crisis to crisis," and rarely accomplish much. In most cases, when these individuals lead, an organization is fortunate if it "treads water" during their tenure, rather than fall back.

Many untrained or inadequate leaders want to "please" everyone. They often appear to have no real ideas of their own, and their next best idea is whatever they last heard. Since they flounder, and have no real direction, they eternally compromise on everything, and when a leader is constantly compromising, he is not accomplishing much.

Let me be perfectly clear that even the most effective leaders need to be consensus formers, and need to compromise on certain items. However, the most effective leaders will never compromise on their vision. These leaders create an agenda, form an in-depth action plan, communicate it and put it into motion, and make their main theme a priority. While it is fine to compromise on minor issues that can accomplish the same goal in another way, effective leaders never compromise on anything they feel strongly is essential to the well-being of an organization.

Effective leaders realize that often those that compromise more may be temporarily more popular, yet they realize that a true leader serves his organization, and that in doing so, may need to at times take strong stands, even if they are not the most popular at the time. Effective leaders show the "courage of their convictions."