Trite Questions, Trite Answers

Remember the acme of strategic thinking that was S.W.O.T.? Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats — and a mnemonic as applicable to an individual as to an entire organisation.

What are you personal strengths and weaknesses Mr Moore?

My strengths are my weaknesses and my weaknesses are my strengths.

The question is inane because it makes an assumption that any particular quality is absolutely either a strength or a weakness, when, as with most things, context is no less a determinant of goodness or badness than the quality itself. One can be decisive when one should be considered, one can be attentive to detail when one should be considering the big picture. And vice versa. Never neglect the prevailing conditions: business conditions are the environment in which the business man lives... adapt or perish.

Are you a "team player"?

That depends on the team... I don't work well with the unqualified, the inattentive, the lazy, the stupid or the selfish... otherwise , yes, I'm a team player — a good team can be considerably more than the sum of it's parts. And sometimes I should lead, and sometimes I should follow.

Building a good team takes time and care, a good leader can wield an average team to good effect, and a bad leader can lead the best of teams to disaster.

What makes a good leader?

The ability to create trust. A good leader is trusted to be honest, to be honourable, to be clear-sighted and to be strong.

Strong?

Strong enough to be a little authoritarian when circumstances demand decisiveness and speed of action, and strong enough to be willing to be softer & fluffier, to be more consultative, when there is no emergency to be dealt with.

But modern business can so hectic — there is never enough time. Every day is an emergency!

Then the organisation is teetering on the verge of collapse... when there is no margin for error disaster is just one bad, hasty decision away. Invest in a little slack — it costs less in the long run than repairing the damage... if it can be repaired.

This sounds trite but is actually based on some basic physics and computational techniques used in optimisation and complexity. In the never ending quest for efficiency and productivity it is often overlooked that the most efficient are often the most specialised... and thus the most vulnerable to adverse changes in conditions. Agility, flexibility, adaptability etc. come at a cost — but are probably better for long-term survival.