I had no doubt they were wrong.  After over an hour of discussing our marketing plan, the leadership team decided to adopt a strategy I had argued against.  I truly believed there were better ideas on the table.

At dinner that night with two of my peers, we revisited the decision.  Bob was against the decision as I was, while Phil was neutral.  The three of us had a choice to make.

Support the plan or not support it.

But I Don’t Like It?

Bob felt he could get better results with his team by adopting his own strategy.  Phil said he would use the agreed upon strategy but probably wasn’t going to push it too hard on his team.

I wrestled that night with what I was going to do.  In the end, I had 3 choices – follow Bob, follow Phil, or get 100% behind a strategy I didn’t like.

Choice #1:  Follow Bob aka Do My Own Thing

There was a strategy in place Bob did not agree with.  He had a better plan that he was motivated to implement.  He knew his team and they would be excited by his plan.  He felt he needed to do what was best for his team!

All these thoughts were in my head but were coming out of Bob’s mouth.  His arguments made sense to me and even appealed to my rebellious side.

Choice #2:  Follow Phil aka Give The Plan Lip Service

Phil planned on rolling out the strategy with the caveat that it wasn’t his idea.  Though he didn’t love the plan, he would roll it out and see what happened.  His team would understand that certain decisions were out of his control.  They would just have to comply.

In general, I never liked doing anything half way.  But in this case, being excited about this plan seemed hypocritical.  Like Phil, I did not feel excited.

Choice #3:  Follow The Leadership Team aka Support The Decision

The team had decided on a strategy.  Everyone had made their case for or against the plan.  After we had all been heard, the decision was made.  It wasn’t a terrible idea.  It just wasn’t my favorite idea. But as a part of that leadership team, I needed to own the decision.

I needed to motivate my team and help them see the possibilities inherent in the new strategies.  “Selling” them on the plan was going to be critical to it being successfully implement.  I am a salesman.  I knew I could get buy-in from my team.

The Wrong Choices

Bob and Phil were wrong.  They were wrong for different reasons.  But, they were still wrong.

Bob chose to do his own thing because he did not want to do what the team decided.  If Bob was making the decision on a basis what is morally right or wrong, he had the duty to choose what was right even if it went against the decision of the group.  But, in this case it was a difference in opinion not a moral issue.  

Bob had the opportunity to voice his opinion and make his case.  His ideas had been considered, but were not chosen.  As a member of the leadership team, it was his duty to support the decision of the group.

Phil chose the passive aggressive route.  He did not get his way, but he was not going to invest energy in a strategy he that he was unsure of.  By giving the plan lip service he could say he rolled it out, and still feel vindicated when it did not work.

Because he did not feel excited about the plan, Phil thought he was within his rights to not truly support it.   Leaders who only do what they feel like doing are inconsistent at best and untrustworthy at their worst.

Just like Bob, it was Phil’s duty to support the strategy the group conceived and agreed upon.

The Right Choice

As a member of the leadership team, the right choice for me was #3.   Like Bob, I had aired my opinions and been heard.  My desires were considered but the team went in another direction.  To not support that decision would have been a selfish move.

As a leader, it is my responsibility to lobby for what I see as the best strategy.  I need to argue my position and challenge the positions of others so we develop the best solution.

But once the decision is made, it is also my responsibility to support that decision as if it were my own.  I must sell it to my team and work for its success as if I was the single architect of that plan.

It is hypocritical for me to walk out of a meeting tacitly agreeing to a strategy and then do my own thing or only pay lip service to following the plan.

The Individual’s Choice

For those of us reading this who are not involved in leadership teams, the principles are still the same.  Just because we have a different opinion, or we don’t feel like 100% supporting a strategy, does not give us the right to ignore or partially implement the plan.

Again, the only exception to this rule is when a moral or ethical issue is at play.  If that is the case, then it is every individual’s duty to prevent any part of the plan from being carried forward, by anyone.

The Bottom Line:

The decision to support an idea or a strategy I don’t like is not easy.  Sometimes I have to swallow my pride and do something that I don’t agree with.

It is interesting how this principle works for both leaders and followers.  When a decision has been made and it is not morally/ethically wrong, both the leader and the follower have the duty to follow.

Otherwise, I am acting like a selfish child who did not get his way.

Question:

Do you believe it is your duty to follow a plan you do not agree with?