Decisiveness versus Analytical Thinking

There's a tension between decisiveness and analytical thinking.  The Army emphasizes decisiveness, making decisions quickly, sometimes without perfect information, and without seeking consensus.  In fact, I worked for years to become more decisive, knowing that this was a valuable skill for Army leaders.

HBS, and perhaps the larger business community, (especially a consulting case team) values analytical rigor and the team decision making process.  A Bain partner who was himself in the military told me, "Consultants get scared when you just tell them 'I got this' and come back later with a solution without having asked for any assistance or posing any questions."  That independence and capability to push a product through to the finish without seeking help is valued in the military.  Consultants however, rightly see value in the wisdom that is creating through a team analysis.

I struggle to let a slow, team process take place.  This has been a challenge for me in teams at HBS and will certainly be a challenge for me going forward.  I need to relax a little bit, pull back on sharing my opinion, which I feel strongly is right, and join the team analysis process.  It can be slow, but these aren't emergency situations that call for immediate decisions that leave the consequences to be dealt with later.

It's a little scary to say that I'm bad at a team process, given that this is what I will do as a consultant. But I think it is right to acknowledge this up front and take steps to deal with it, enabling me to function well in the group.

Part of the solution is that my answer, without consulting others, cannot possibly be the best answer, and is certainly not the single right answer.  Sheryl Sandberg said in Lean In "Rarely is there one absolute truth, so people who believe that they speak the truth are very silencing of others."  Keeping this quote in mind helps remind me of the value of the team analysis and decision process.