Much of the U.S. experienced a severe winter storm yesterday, leaving behind up to a foot of snow in some urban areas across more than half the nation.
As with any winter snowstorm, businesses and schools must decide whether to open or to suspend in-person events by declaring a “snow day.”
School superintendents, club managers, and company leaders face a similar dilemma nearly every winter. Should facilities stay open or closed when weather threatens?
School officials, in particular, take a lot of heat no matter which decision they land on. Choices like this impact millions of students, teachers, staff, and their parents, so the pressure to get it right is intense.
Within this dilemma lies an important leadership lesson for leaders of every stripe. The decision itself often matters far less than how leaders communicate about it.
Whatever decision is made, some people will disagree strongly with it. That’s unavoidable. Close schools, and some parents will say it was unnecessary. Keep the classrooms open, and others will question the judgment regarding safety.
What erodes trust isn’t the decision. It’s when people feel the decision was made carelessly or without understanding the impact it has on others.
When a school superintendent announces “schools are closed” with no explanation, parents wonder if they are being overly cautious.
When they say “schools are open” with no context to explain why, staff wonder if their safety was even considered.
The best leaders offer people an inside view about the decision itself and the process used to make it.
They share the information gathered and the criteria they will use to make the call. They demonstrate they are thinking about the same issues that those affected are thinking about.
“Here’s what we know about the expected road conditions.” “Here’s what we are hearing from transportation officials.” “Here’s what is being considered to make the call.” This transparency builds long-term credibility even when people disagree with the choice.
This principle extends far beyond weather decisions.
Anytime leaders face a choice where reasonable people might disagree, the transparency of their thinking matters more than the outcome.
Explaining the factors considered, the tradeoffs weighed, and the reasoning behind the call creates a trust that the decision itself never can.
Great leaders spend less time agonizing over the “right” decision and more time being clear about how they are going about making it.
More often than not, credibility springs from the transparency of the process, not the outcome.
