Sua Sponte
"A wise man makes his own decisions. An ignorant man follows public opinion." Chinese Proverb
Sua Sponte, defined in Wikipedia, is a latin phrase for, "of his or her own accord or on one's own behalf." Used often in legal or court language it means, "an act or authority taken without formal prompting from another party." In the U.S. Army, Sua Sponte is the motto of the 75th Ranger Regiment, a small, elite unit of highly trained soldiers, all qualified as rangers and paratroopers. Rangers accomplish tasks with little or no prompting. They don't sit idle waiting to be told what to do. In leadership, Sua Sponte is when the leader makes a decision without the input of the group or prompting or authorization from a higher authority. "I Sua Sponte'd," I often heard leaders state when they acted in such a way.
Sometimes, Sua Sponte is the way. John Maxwell, a well known leadership author and speaker states, "A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way." Often it is the leader who knows best and who can see bigger and further than others. This is not to say leaders should ignore the input and wisdom of subordinates and or the greater group. Input and knowledge gathering is always a wise choice.
In my use of the Forté Institute's Communication and Self-Assessment Survey, I help leaders understand their logic style - how they make decisions. The survey displays a range of logic styles from intuitive feelings - listening to your gut, to facts - examining data. I coach leaders to attempt to strike a balance when deciding - using their intuition and gathering facts, but to gain knowledge by trying new things so that they can Sua Sponte when the time comes.
Fact gathering or seeking input from others can be time consuming. Moreover, subordinate individuals and teams are so busy with day to day tasks they often prefer leaders Sua Sponte. I'm more of a feelings decision maker. I'm also non-dominant according to Forté, meaning I like input. I can Sua Sponte with the best of them but I've been burned doing it.
To Sua Sponte, a leader must draw on their knowledge and experience. Situations play out over and over in different forms yet require similar decisions. These are times a leader can Sua Sponte. After doing so, I always tell my people, "I Sua Sponte''d this act or decision." I may or may not explain my rationale. I may just tell them I've decided and why I've decided. I do all this on a foundation built on trust.
Sua Sponte but don't make it your default button. Seek input where you can. Do the hard work to "know the way." Sua Sponte - "go they way." Then train your people to replace you as the leader by, "showing the way."
Sua Sponte! Rangers Lead The Way!
Make it Personal!
Rob
Rob Campbell