Do Great Managers Make Better Decisions?

Not necessarily, but here it why it seems that way.

I’ve been serving on a nonprofit with a gentleman for several months now. I can best describe the man I’m serving with as someone that’s been incredibly successful during his long career. The nonprofit itself is relatively new and we are currently raising money for our building. It’s been a heavy lift so he and I sat down recently for a brief strategy session. Before we got down to brass tacks he asked me how my new job as Chairman was going. I told him how enjoyable it’s been and also gave him a run down on a few projects the county is working on. We also chatted about the day-to-day challenges that comes with running a county government.

He proceeded to give me a little insight into his own experiences. He talked about his ups and downs while being “the boss.” One thing he said really stuck out to me was this: if you are a great manager, it can make up for making less-than-ideal decisions because a great manager can take a sub-optimal decision and still manage the project to a great result.

So while people may simply claim someone makes great decisions, that may not be the case. Perhaps they are simply a great manager. Great managers are extremely valuable because they make up for sub-optimal situations and sub-optimal decisions made by themselves or others.