Shades of grey

When we "graduate" to a leadership position we find our perspective changing on a quite a few things. The view from a higher rung on the ladder becomes not so much about the simplicity of black and white, right and wrong, or good and bad, but more about the complexity of shades of grey. Successful leadership requires us to be able to "sit with" and navigate these shades of grey, to make the best possible decisions that may ignore the loudest dissenting voices and the current prevailing sentiment but are courageous, future focused and move us forward to better outcomes.

This was pointed out very well in an episode of the BBC's Sister Boniface Mysteries. The lighthearted detective show is set in the 1960s. Sister Boniface happens to have a PhD in forensic science and helps the local police solve various crimes in the fictional English village of Great Slaughter.

In an episode entitled Sister Town there is a process underway for Great Slaughter to twin with the German town of Grobgemetzel, in an effort to help heal the wounds of the Second World War. The timeframe is only fifteen years or so after the end of World War II and emotions are running high in the village, with protests being held and, of course, the odd murder and attempt on the life of Herr Karl Fischer (Mayor of Grobgemetzel).

In what is generally a lighthearted show, even though it deals in murder, this episode culminated in a very sobering finale when Detective Inspector Sam Gillespie, who fought in the war, addressed the anti-twinning villagers gathered around the war memorial. Standing alongside Herr Fischer he said, "Yes, for those who do not know, Herr Fischer killed people, as did many of us around this memorial. Arthur, you sank U-boats in the navy, and Horace you bombed Dresden. You want to know how many lives I took? No, and I don't want to talk about it. But I want to know that all that suffering, and blood wasn't for nothing. That it led to peace and to friendship. I want these people to be our friends."

War is a heavy-weight example, but the reality is that many of the issues you will deal with as a leader, will not have a clear right and wrong, there will be transgressions on all sides, situations are nuanced and, more often than not, good and bad reside in the same place.

Some tips on navigating the grey:

1. Keep your values and principles front and centre, they will underpin and guide your thinking and decision making.

2. Remain open minded, jumping to conclusions based on early and minimal information often means the conclusion we have jumped to is not correct, or at least not the whole story.

3. Take the time to speak with relevant people and to understand different perspectives on an issue or situation. This not only reassures everybody that they have had a chance to put their view forward, but it also ensures our view is panoramic and not exclusive.

4. Communication of the ultimate decision or outcome needs to reflect the grey, don't oversimply the process of getting from A to B and disregard the nuances. Ensure the narrative respects and reflects the shades of grey and the people that those shades represent.

"A mind is like a parachute. It doesn't work if it is not open." - Frank Zappa