Be Open to Surprises.

The Chief Executive of the organisation that governed most of the civilised world for the last two thousand years has some claim to know about good decision making.

As the boss of the largest private employer in Australia with 180,000 employees, over $100 billion in assets and an annual income of over $15 billion, he's worth listening to - regardless of whether you are a customer.

Earlier this week he warned about the risk of creating 'masterpiece' systems hat were so perfect that they closed themselves off from the potential for 'surprise'.

He reminded us that we need to remember that we are 'on a journey....and when we set out on a journey, when we are on our path, we always encounter new things, things we did not know.'

He reminded us that the law - systems -  are not ends in themselves - but the means to an end. If those systems do not bring is to our Widget - then they are 'dead'.

He said that we should ask ourselves: 'Am I attached to my things, my ideas, [are they] closed? Or am I open to...surprises? Am I at a standstill or am I on a journey?'

A good decision is one that advances us towards where we want to be.

Good decision making is a deliberate process of inquiry - a journey open to 'surprises' - that advances us towards where we want to be.

The challenge for organisations - whether the Roman Catholic Church or a factory - and those of us leading them - Pope Francis or a line manager - or the rest of us in the pews or in open plan cubicles - is to create and maintain a framework for decision making that does not tether us but frees us to be surprised.

That takes courage.

And leaders who are brave.