Thursday, January 27, 2011

Making the call as "the man"

Last night the rain/sleet/snow/sleet/snow/ICE cycle hit Richmond again right at rush hour.  This sort of situation create a major decision point for leaders all over the region.  

To cancel, or not to cancel Wed night activities?  churches, schools, music lessons, sports practices...

Make the call earlier friends. Remember the hundreds of dependancies in your constituency...
Forge ahead and trust your gut, but remember that you are accountable for your mistakes, and apologies are welcome where bad calls are made and then "reversed" at the last minute. Last minute emergency reversals are worse in many cases because they increase the drama unnecessarily, in every household, every mind.. distracting with little value. 

My advice, ALWAYS err on the side of safety.  One injury or accident is too many. Calls of "it wasn't that bad", "in my day".. will be there regardless. 

Toughness in leadership is sacrificing the institution and the programs for the people's safety... not forging ahead with the thought of 4 wheel drives, and "oh, they will be fine". It is only raining here... Weather is a fickle thing.. but not as fickle as people..

To end on a humorous note:  Making a weather call takes perspective, resources, research and knowledge that most small org just don't have..  As for me and my house.. we generally just follow the Chesterfield County Public Schools.. but not always... ;-)  If my street looks treacherous, my wife and kids are staying home.. no matter what "the man" says... 

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