Three Yeses Were Not Enough: A Few Minutes of Leadership Time
A polished proposal. Available funding. An enthusiastic team. Why would a principal still say no?
In this edition of The Leadership Xone: A Few Minutes of Leadership Time, Dr. Harold L. Wright shares his four-pronged approach to decision making. The story is illustrative; the decision questions are his practical leadership method.
The complete narration appears in synchronized read-along panels. The video uses an AI-animated illustration of Dr. Wright with his saved avatar voice and an original short jazz opening and exit.
Read the episode transcript
Imagine this.
A principal receives a proposal for a new student recognition program.
The presentation is polished. The funding is available. The organizers are enthusiastic.
“We can launch next month,” they say. “All we need is your approval.”
It sounds like an easy yes.
But before signing, the principal notices a detail: students whose families cannot provide transportation will have no way to participate.
Hold that thought.
In leadership, requests arrive every day. Some come with impressive presentations. Others come from people we trust. And sometimes, they come with a little pressure.
“We’ve always done it this way.”
“Everyone else has approved it.”
“It won’t cost the school anything.”
But popularity, tradition, and price cannot make the decision for us.
I use a four-pronged approach. Every request or proposal must pass four questions.
First: Does it align with the vision and mission?
We have to know why we exist and what we have committed to do. A good opportunity can still lead us away from our purpose.
Second: Does it support achieving our strategic goals?
Activity fills calendars. Progress moves us toward our goals. Before adding something new, we need to understand which goal it advances, and how.
Third: Is it within policy and the law?
Good intentions do not give us permission to step outside either one. If the answer is unclear, we need to verify it before moving forward.
Fourth: Is it in the best interest of children?
This question brings us back to the people who must live with our decisions.
Who benefits? Who might be left out? What will this mean for the child whose circumstances are easiest to overlook?
My rule is straightforward.
Four questions. Four yeses required.
If the answer to even one is no, I deny the request or proposal.
An unanswered question is not a yes, either.
Now, return to that recognition program.
It aligned with the school’s mission. It supported a strategic goal. In this illustrative story, the required review confirmed it met policy and the law.
Three yeses.
But the plan left some children without a way to participate.
The fourth answer was no.
So the principal declined the proposal as presented.
Then came the most useful question of the conversation:
“What would need to change so those children could participate, too?”
The organizers returned with transportation included and a plan that families could actually use.
The principal reviewed it again.
This time, four yeses.
The revealing detail was never in the polished presentation. It was in the ride home.
Before your next approval, ask all four questions. And give each answer enough attention to matter.
For more practical leadership stories, hit the Subscribe button and join me for the next edition of A Few Minutes of Leadership Time.
Visit wcfix.org for leadership tools, coaching, and support you can put into practice. You’ll find the website link in this episode’s description.
I’m Dr. Harold L. Wright. Get into the Leadership Xone with WCFIX!
Put the leadership lesson into practice
Bring a current proposal to your next leadership meeting. Ask each of the four questions, record the evidence behind every answer, and identify what must be verified before approval.
Continue the conversation with the related WCFIX article: Your School Is Working Hard. Why Aren’t Results Catching Up?
Comments