Early in life, I made a decision I never regretted. I decided I’m best served by always facing and dealing with the facts, brutal as they may be. I want to take my hits and move on rather than belabor excuses and tell lies to hide my mistakes. No human is smart enough to pull that off, and certainly not me.

The worst lies are those we tell ourselves, like developing preconceived ideas and searching for “facts” to back them up.

Intellectual honesty is so important I put it near the top of the Macek Management Checklist. Solid managers must always face and deal with the facts as they are.

Commitment to scientific inquiry. Insists on knowing the facts, regardless how harsh or disappointing, to assure they are accurately addressed. Conscientiously avoids self-deception.

Why is this quality so important for CEOs?

CEOs can be effective only when they base their decisions on an accurate assessment of the facts. After all, the first step in problem solving is to fully identify the problem that requires a solution. Without careful root-cause analysis, one can easily arrive at superficial solutions that totally miss the roots of the problem.

It’s easy to deceive ourselves. Let’s look at how and why.

We all value our thinking. Certainly at the executive level, we have developed a strong habit of making well-considered decisions. We consider our conclusions valid and are comfortable with them, even when misguided. But what if we make a serious blunder, like initiating a product line that’s a bust? What better serves our company: Hoping that the impossible might someday become possible or admitting to a bad decision and cutting bait?
History has long shown us that bearers of bad news are treated badly. If we treat personnel who bring us bad news badly, we tell them it is dangerous to be truthful. That discourages innovative thinking that may not immediately be evident to us but greatly benefits our company in the long haul.

Traditional thinking holds that the CEO is always right. How nonsensical! Every human is capable of error, especially when dealing with complex challenges. We now emphasize teamwork as an essential tool for addressing complex challenges. Rather than pretend to know it all, today’s CEO listens, assimilates and makes the most of sometimes-conflicting input.

CEOs must avoid listening only to what personnel think we want to hear. That’s dangerous. Inaccurate “facts” can destroy a company. There is no such thing as a perfect decision, but in my experience, achieving consensus is as good as it gets. That requires hearing and incorporating every voice in the room. Time and again, I have seen shy, thoughtful individuals make contributions that completely changed the dialogue.

Analyzing mistakes helps us learn and do better. Assume that even the most carefully considered decisions can still prove defective, but step further in advancing excellence.

I find value in the adage: “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.” I am not talking religion here, but rather about the trouble we can create for ourselves when we delude ourselves that good intent guarantees good results.

As CEOs, we must keep our feet on the ground. We constantly must strive to act only on solid evidence and analysis of that evidence. If not, we will fail.

By John Macek

Janesville-based John Macek has been in management for more than 30 years, 17 years as a CEO. He originated the Macek Management Checklist of 20 critical management skills. He writes short-format management training material that he publishes through Bosshandbooks (www.bosshandbooks.com).