Great Leaders Create Open and Credible Processes (This is not a political post)
I used to scoff at how news outlets overuse the term “Breaking News” to talk about decisions being made by people in charge. But without sounding overly dramatic, now everything feels like “breaking news”, with daily disruptions happening within the US and across the world.
Breaking seems to be the key word.
Whenever I hear about the dismantling and mishandling of core institutions that were originally created with careful consideration generations ago through a series of checks and balances, I am reminded how fragile this “Great Experiment” can be.
But then I’m reminded of what is fundamental to creating long-term, sustainable change: Credible decision-making processes. Systems and policy change work is rarely fast paced and when it is fast paced, it usually lacks stickiness.
We experiment all of the time in our work and personal lives. We may not call it “systems or policy change work,” but we are constantly tinkering and asking for help from others. And the decisions that are likely to have the most staying power are those made by everyone, not unilaterally by me, you, or a few people who say they know best. Democracy is not a spectator sport.
Of course getting everyone to consensus is ideal, but in our experience, we know that we live in a reality where getting to consensus around complex community issues is a rarity. Just short of consensus, Liminal Collaboration doesn’t actually advocate for any one of these decision making processes, as it all depends on the context. As long as the collaborative group is all aware of how the decisions are made and are in agreement with the rules of engagement then the process itself will generate a good and fair solution.
One example of an organization doing this really well is CivicLex. They advocate for a civically healthy community which means they are not pushing for a particular outcome but want to make sure that the community is engaged, involved, and has the information to make their voice heard, if they choose to do so. This is done based on trusting the democratic process and the appropriate solutions will prevail. In Lexington and Fayette County, KY the elected officials appreciate the work of CivicLex. The organization is making their job easier, by validating or doing the work of refining ideas that are most likely to represent the community.
How we make decisions is often just as important as the decision itself.
And as long as the rules are clear and everyone has agreed on them, then it holds more credibility. Missteps often include a lack transparency or decision-making that goes against the agreed-upon rules. Credible decision making also includes clarity around roles and responsibilities, values, and all other practices and procedures. Most often, these should be formalized, yet agreements only become more codified as trust is built.
People will quickly let you know if a decision-making process is credible. People leave, protest, get angry, or push back if they don’t have clarity about the process. And occasionally, people disagree but act agreeable out of politeness to the decision. But when it comes to implementation, the disagreement will be revealed. These are signs that the decision-making process may not be perceived as credible to all.
We don’t know how disruptions in our communities, in our country and in the world will play out, but it brings me some peace of mind to truly believe that the current high-speed decision making (majority, consensus or consent) we’re seeing a lot in this moment is unlikely to last. That does not change or undermine the anger or fear that can be very real about the near-term future for some of us and our neighbors.
Yet, whether it’s at your collaborative table, your own organization, or beyond, it will take more people to speak up – and not just agree out of politeness – to (re)create more credible processes and get to the decisions that are best for all of us.
