After an American U-2 spy plane detected Soviet Union-built nuclear missile sites in Cuba in October 1962, the world waited for 13 days — seemingly on the brink of nuclear war — for President John F. Kennedy to act.
After several days of confidential meetings with his advisors, on Oct. 22, President Kennedy announced during a televised national address his decision to place a naval blockade around Cuba to prevent the Soviets from bringing over military supplies, then ordered the Soviets to remove the missiles already there and destroy their sites.
This was the right decision, but it wasn't his only option; U.S. military hawks wanted to bomb Cuba, which might have set off a nuclear war. Before announcing his plan on television, President Kennedy had doubts that he was making the right choice.
In his article in Forbes, John Baldoni, leadership and development chair at N2Growth, an executive coach and author, likens the daunting task of President Kennedy's decision in the Cuban Missile Crisis to that of other leaders faced with tough choices.
Hospital and health system chiefs are tasked with the power — and sometimes, the burden — of making decisions for and on behalf of their organizations every day. Sometimes this is easy, and in other instances, very difficult.
Consider the following decision-making lessons for leaders, according for Mr. Baldoni.
1. The right amount of doubt can be a valuable tool. When faced with tough decisions, all leaders usually face some form of self-doubt, though they hope they are right. According to Mr. Baldoni, "The savvy ones know they are fallible. Only fools fail to second-guess themselves." However, at the same time, leaders should trust their gut.
Despite the irritating, nagging feeling of doubt, feeling the need to think over the assumptions, options and potential consequences of different decisions can be the best thing for an organization, according to Mr. Baldoni. However, too much hesitation can lead to putting off the decision for too long, or not making one at all.
2. Big decisions require careful preparation. Deliberate thought and debate are critical aspects of making big decisions, Mr. Baldoni says. Leaders cannot claim to have made the best decision possible if it was made impulsively. Importantly, specific plans should be made to aid the people responsible for implementing the decision.
3. Use your knowledge, and your people. According to Mr. Baldoni, leaders depend on two things when making big decisions — their own knowledge and their trust in the people on their team. It is the leader's job to become as informed on a situation and consider the stakes as much as possible before making a decision, and it is their team's job to give honest, constructive feedback and suggestions during the deliberation process.
4. There will always be some negative feedback. Regardless of the outcome of a decision, know there will always be push-back, according to Mr. Baldoni. If the outcome is not as desired, people will place blame. Even if the outcome is good, some will still second-guess the decision, he says.
We know now President Kennedy made the best choice. But with every decision, you only know what is right in hindsight. As Mr. Baldoni says, a strong leader needs to trust her gut, and when she knows she has made the best decision possible at the time, then she's done her job.