Leaders are obligated to make the right call, no matter how unpopular it is or what pressure they face from outside or inside forces.
Unfortunately, the pressure to bend to a vocal minority that maintains a persistent drumbeat is often very real and can wear down even the best of leaders.
But worn down or not, good leaders don’t waver from their responsibility and consider every decision with the gravity and objectivity it deserves.
While it is essential to consider all the stakeholders impacted by a decision, leaders must draw on their own life experiences and judgments to inform their choices.
The first line of defense against vocal minorities and groups with agendas is to clarify the values that should drive the decision.
The personal values of the leader certainly come into play, but they are not as important as the enterprise values the leader has been entrusted to protect.
If values don’t remedy the uncertainty, then the next line of defense is data.
Everyone has opinions, and they matter, but they are not as critical as facts and data. Doing a deep dive on what is empirically true or known while pushing opinions and agendas to the side will typically guide the leader to the right or best answer.
When uncertainty remains, the third line of defense is to consider the reputational risk of the decision options.
This requires a long view and an objective lens of how the entire ecosystem will judge the organization over the long haul based on this decision.
Looking at how each constituent base or stakeholder faction will judge the decision is usually a mistake. What will the composite view of all the voices together be over the long term?
With values, data, and reputational risk taking center stage, leaders will find the courage and clarity to make a quality decision that is in the best long-term interests of everyone.
Leaders who submit to the mob almost always regret it after the dust has settled. And let’s be clear: Mobs take many forms, including boards, senior leadership teams, activists, media, and vocal team members.
You can always recognize a mob by an unwillingness to consider any other option, a willingness to breach social norms to get its way, the high emotional intensity of the arguments, and a fixation on a triggering event that justifies its extreme demands.
Good leaders never submit to the mob.
Instead, they deliberately and thoughtfully make an objective decision with the values, data, and reputational risk foremost in mind.
Wherever there is an opportunity to push an extreme agenda, a mob is likely to form. Leaders see a mob for what it is: an emotionally charged group that won’t take “No” for an answer.
Instead, strong leaders turn the tables and say “No way” to the mob.
