Beard.

There's an old man with a long white beard and a big book who sits at a large desk in a larger office at the head of every organisation. 

Even Liz concedes that it's a man and that he has a long white beard. 

That old man is very wise and has all the answers. 

('The Onion' ran an article along similar lines about a team of people in a room looking after the entire United States.) 

But he's kept in the dark by incompetent people in the management hierarchy below him and so bad things happen to people without his knowledge. 

If only we could get past our line manager, her line manager, and everyone in between us and the old man with the long white beard.

If only we knew his direct number and could bypass the help desk, customer service or call centre operator. 

If only we could appeal to him the decision that we didn't like. 

If only we could tell him our side of the story. 

He would listen. Nod. Stroke his long white beard. 

He would open up his big book and flick a few pages.  Run his finger down the wise words written in it.

He would look up, adjust his glasses, smile at us from behind his long white beard and say: 

'You're right. Sorry. I'll fix it for you.'

He would make things right.  

He would make us happy again. 

I worked for an organisation whose policies allowed a decision to be appealed up to six times - beyond the Chief Executive Officer and to a government minister. 

One appeal step was a review of the decision by a committee of experts and the complainant's peers. 

 'Nothing ever gets resolved,' complainants complained.

'Nothing ever gets resolved,' managers complained. 

Leaders nurture good decision making by supporting decisions made at the lowest appropriate level and at the earliest appropriate time. 

Because there is no old man with a long white beard.