A “Preview Button” for my job would be great. The ability to review and test decisions before I fully commit and “publish”. As I write this blog entry, there it is – the Preview Button. I use it several times before I publish my blog posts. I can see how my post appears our there in the real world. If something is not quite right, I go back and fix it.
Now this would be cool in the workplace. A preview button to use before I go live with big decisions.
I am joking of course. For leaders there is no preview button. We do the best we can to take in information, review options and make decisions. In other words, effective leaders publish each day.
There is a lesson here for leaders from writing a blog. It is a deliberate and clear decision to publish a post. When everything is ready and after several uses of the preview button, we hold our breath and press the publish button.
A deliberate act – to press the publish button. I contend that effective leaders both understand the importance of the publish button and recognize the moment they do indeed publish. Leaders make decisions.
Yet, what if the decision was wrong? The effective leader does not shy away from making decisions knowing full well that there is no preview button. With a mindset that leaders use the publish button, there is ownership. As such if a decision is wrong … a leader owns it, makes the change and then presses the publish button once again.
I see leaders who hesitate to make decisions … to publish. They want to talk some more, sleep on it, and then wait some more. Once again the leader is there to make decisions and rework decisions as necessary. Fingers do not linger; they press the publish button.
As an aside … when I press the publish button on a new blog entry, I raise my arms in a victory pose and wait for the new post to appear on my computer screen. To publish is to decide and that is worth celebrating.
Buttons. Fun to imagine, but no preview button exists. The publish button, while also not real, is a mind-set and a reminder of the importance of making decisions as a leader.
Yet for many struggling leaders there is a button that seems all to real … the panic button. Pull back the fingers and do not press.
WeMoveTogether 
Great post. Sometimes we probably should take a little extra time to “preview” our thoughts before “publishing”, but the reality is quite often we have to “publish” on the fly. Practice, reflection and constant learning hopefully puts us in a position to publish on a moments notice.
Frank – well said and thanks for the comment. Practice, reflection and constant learning … right on.
– Michael
I’ve got a fourth P for you (actually it is an alternative to Preview). PAUSE. The ‘strategic pause’, used when you are in that moment of overwhelm and are about to turn into the animal that you basically are: PAUSE.
It’s a great negotiation tool, as if you pause before you respond to the other party’s offer, it adds weight to it. It also allows you a critical opportunity to THINK!
Thanks for the post. i have only just bumped into your Blog and I intend to tune in regularly.
Thanks for the visit Michael and welcome to the show. I do agree with you on the pause button. At times we need to add space between all the talk. When we pause we add that space to think and then respond well.
The best leaders certainly use a pause button.
All the best, Michael H.