Some difficult decisions feel easier when we’re not the ultimate agent. Who wouldn’t rather say “This stinks, but it’s not my call” than “This stinks and I own it”? Given that preference, it’s tempting to put off hard choices in the hope that they’ll get made by someone else, in which case we can hang on to ambivalence. But the more meaningful things we have to do probably require making and owning decisions that might not be popular or that could turn out to be wrong.
What’s more, the decision we make and claim today may help someone join us tomorrow. We don’t know who else in our orbit are mulling similar choices and waiting for someone to go first.
We can go first.
Thank you, Rocky. I now have a habit of looking for something to ask about so that the painful “Any questions?” silence doesn’t last so long. I am not too fond of speaking up and asking questions, but I would rather go first than wait for whether anyone else will have the nerve to go.