Expediency or Principle?
"NCOs fly by the seat of their pants Rob. Officers read the book." A commander of mine once told me that when coaching me on my role as a young officer. NCOs or non-commissioned officers, the sergeants of the Army, had (and still have) a tremendous reputation built on experience and knowledge. NCOs taught me practically everything about being an infantryman. My boss was generalizing of course, to emphasize principle - the manuals which guided everything we did in the Army. My lack of experience would be overcome by reading, following, and enforcing principles. My NCO teammate could achieve expediency guided by his or her experience. I needed both.
While your organization may not possess a library of manuals (principles) which guide its operation, principles are no less important. A principle can be a simple set of rules or flowcharts which are known by all to be the proper steps to achieve a task and mitigate risk of failure. I view principle not just as a noun, but as an adjective describing a calm methodical approach to something, combining logic and experience.
Expediency has its home when speed is of the essence. When expediency is required, it is best to lean on those with experience or to use logic and problem solving in a more rapid fashion to solve a problem or complete a task. Of course, expediency can lead to trouble. Often, when reflecting on a failure, it was the pace at which a leader or team traveled which led to mistakes. This doesn't mean expediency must be avoided. Often there is no choice. The key for a leader is to recognize what is required and to try and strike a balance between expediency and principle.
Even in an emergency, I would always refer to principle while I sped through a problem. I felt a duty to let the "book" guide me and my team. I could use vulnerability in emergency situations leveraging others for solutions but I would always strive to be guided by principle or be principled in my approach. This is what leaders do.
The next time, today perhaps, when expediency calls, find your NCO. You have them in your organization. They can help but don't cast principle aside. Read the book!
Make it Personal!
Rob
Rob Campbell