Decision Space

“Here’s a couple of rules of the road here that we’re going to follow. One is you never, ever, ever box in a president of the United States. You always give him decision space.”

General Mark A Milley, the chairman of the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff

Space is a Good Decision Maker’s Holy Place.

It is to be tended and nurtured and respected. It is a gift. A blessing.

Space is a clearing inviting inspiration, creativity, novelty, surprise. Freedom.

Like any cunning foe, the enemy of space is cloaked in virtue.

Decisiveness.

‘She was so decisive. She knew what decision to make and she made it and moved to the next decision.’

‘He was indecisive. He couldn’t make a decision.’

Decisiveness robs the decision maker and those they affect of the gifts of Space. Its haste desecrates the holy milliseconds, seconds, minutes, or hours in which another voice may speak to us of a better way.

Like General Milley, those of us who serve decision makers must gift them Decision Space. We must be grown up enough to surrender our childish desire for decisiveness. We must be disciplined and wise enough to support our boss to utter the words that might be the greatest compliment a superior can give a subordinate:

‘I don’t know.’