Don’t call a vote on a decision that’s already made. People can smell a fake choice.

LEADERSHIP

WHAT THIS MEANS

A vote offered over a settled decision insults everyone in the room. People can tell immediately, and what they learn is not that you are collaborative but that your questions are decorative, which makes them stop answering the real ones honestly too. Fake choices cost more trust than simply announcing the decision would have.

If it is decided, say so and explain why. If it genuinely is open, say which parts are open and which are not. Keeping those two things clearly apart is most of what makes someone worth following.

A QUESTION TO SIT WITH

When were you offered a choice that was never real?

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