This was one of the first big decisions that Tony had to make in his leadership role. He learned that Junior was going to knock off little Pussy at Artie Bucco’s restaurant. He knew that having a hit there would be bad for Artie’s business, and because Artie was a friend and Tony placed great value on friendship, he wanted to help Artie. He tried to convince Junior to consider other alternatives, but Junior did not want to take orders from Tony and told him, "You may run North Jersey but you don’t run your Uncle Junior." Tony sought counsel from Hesh who came up with a great idea to get Artie out of town for a few weeks, but Tony’s scheme of a free cruise for Artie and his wife, Charmaine, failed when she wouldn’t allow Artie to accept a gift from a mobster. Tony finally came up with an out-of-the-box alternative: torching the restaurant. Tony reasoned that a fire would prevent a hit at the restaurant and Artie could collect the insurance money.
One of Tony’s strengths as a decision maker is his willingness to explore alternatives. At first, Tony attempted to stop Artie from being hurt by appealing to Junior. When that didn’t work, he went to Hesh, received good input, and tried to make Hesh’s idea work. When this failed, he generated his own solution. Tony didn’t lock into a decision and give up when his first option fizzled. Some leaders make a decision and become so discouraged when something goes wrong that they want to distance themselves from it. Tony, on the other hand, explored alternatives and that lead him toward his out-of-the-box solution.
What we can learn from Tony’s decision:
- When at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. This adage has particular relevance for leaders confronting issues they feel strongly about. Tony was acting out of friendship for Artie. In other words, it’s not a "small" decision when he determined he’s going to thwart Junior’s plan for a hit. When decisions are meaningful, leaders need to spend the time and exhibit the patience that exploring alternatives demands. It’s interesting to note that Tony’s decisions became progressively more creative. He started out with the rather obvious alternative of talking to Junior; Hesh’s scheme was more imaginative; and Tony’s idea of torching the restaurant really is out of the box. Some of the best decisions I’ve seen leaders make come after the first two or three (or more) options didn’t work. Small, controlled failure energizes proud leaders, causing them to work harder and more creatively to come up with solutions.