It’s critically important for leaders to know what is important and urgent and what isn’t.
Good leaders decide this on their own.
Just because others see something as important doesn’t mean it is. By assessing the landscape of problems, opportunities, and tasks in their environment, good leaders can decide where they want to spend their time and attention.
They trust their experience and instincts to tell them what is important and pay little attention to those with a different view.
They fully understand there is a risk in ignoring any issue or problem they don’t deem as urgent but are willing to take that risk to stay on track and to be more productive.
As they learn the skill of delaying, postponing, abandoning, and ignoring problems others want them to prioritize, they develop a newfound insight and talent. A Strategic Negligence.
This is a calculated and deliberate choice to neglect or ignore an issue or problem while being fully aware of the risks and consequences involved.
Some of the best leaders on the planet are exceptionally skilled at ignoring issues on purpose. They may address the problem later or choose never to attend to it, but the decision is highly deliberate.
Strategic Negligence makes leaders unusually focused and productive. They rely upon their experience to guide them to make the best choices regarding what to address and what to ignore or postpone, at least for the time being.
That said, they stay attuned to problems and issues on the sidelines, looking for signs that they may be increasing in urgency and importance. But they do their best not to engage them until they have to.
Leaders with a highly developed sense of Strategic Negligence often frustrate those who report to them.
It is exceedingly difficult to get such leaders to examine and prioritize any issue they are not convinced belongs on their list. Advocating for and making a strong case for what is truly important becomes a critical skill for those who must manage such a leader.
But understanding that the leader’s negligence is calculated and intentional helps to ease this frustration somewhat and works to improve the advocacy.
The next time your leader postpones, delays, or ignores a problem you believe is important, ask yourself if they are doing so on purpose. Perhaps their negligence is intentional.
Instead of fighting against it, smart team members learn to develop their own strategic negligence and become more focused and productive as a result.
In the eyes of a crafty leader at any level, each problem postponed frees up time and resources to focus on what is truly most important.
This works well as long as leaders delay the right issues and don’t miss one that will soon spiral out of control for lack of attention. That’s when Strategic Negligence becomes a dereliction.
