Are you a Holder or Concluder Manager?
During last two decades plus I saw only two type of professionals or managers in life. The Holder Managers and the Concluder Managers.
Now we all have to choose for ourselves what category do we fall into?
There are people who hold everything for sometime. They think they are detailed oriented and they want to ponder more. They don’t want things to happen fast or happen quickly. They feel they must take time in finishing. They often forget its not 19th Century or its no more labour intensive world.
Life has gone fast. Social Groups change rapidly their form, shape, size, needs and behaviours. Cycle has given birth to another word “Cyclic”. Time is a scarce commodity. Trust is a rear phenomenon. Beliefs change more rapidly and sometime even more faster than are attires.
Gone are the days when Holder Managers were considered cool headed. Today they are taken as Dumb or slow. They might look cool to their families for sometime. But at Work Place every hour has to be lived in a minute and every minute goes away in a second.
Holder managers will keep you waiting for files and sometimes even for signatures. They might give you an impression that they are going through the document or the case but they may not be.
When you try to peruse them for weeks they might sign, in a spur of a moment but still without reading the document.
They keep their tables full of case histories and are often engrossed in reaching to the right answer which may still not be the right answer.
From out side it appears they have so much of work to do and probably very less time. It may be true to some extent but the attitude makes it further worse.
However, Organizations now need Concluders not Holders.
The more faster and professionally you can conclude on work activities, job orders, assignments, projects and events, the more wanted manager you would become. The Fear of good or bad finish should never over power you to hold on things.
In my opinion keep doing the good effort you will keep getting the good results but you must ensure that you conclude your assignments to results. Concluder Managers don’t leave in the middle. They largely take tasks one by one with most significant and needed at the top but they definitely try to finish it first. Even when they move parallel they understand how to give focus and energy to the one which is most important and yet initiate an other.
The Cost of Holding Decisions for Too Long
Every manager faces decisions that involve uncertainty. In many situations, waiting for additional information is sensible and can prevent unnecessary mistakes. However, there is an important difference between thoughtful decision-making and continuously delaying a decision because conditions never appear to be perfect.
A manager who holds every decision for too long can unintentionally slow down the entire organization. Employees may wait for approvals, projects may lose momentum and important opportunities may disappear. In such situations, the absence of a decision can itself become a decision—with consequences that may be more damaging than taking a calculated risk.
This does not mean that managers should make rushed or careless decisions. Good management requires understanding the level of risk involved. A high-risk decision involving safety, major investment or legal consequences may require detailed analysis and consultation. On the other hand, many routine operational decisions can be made with the information already available.
One useful approach is to ask: What additional information am I waiting for, and will it genuinely change my decision? If the answer is no, further delay may simply be a form of avoiding responsibility.
Effective managers also understand the importance of delegation. Holding every decision at the senior-management level can create unnecessary bottlenecks. Employees should be given appropriate authority according to their competence and responsibilities. Delegation not only speeds up decision-making but also helps develop confidence and leadership capability within the team.
A concluder manager does not mean someone who always has the perfect answer. It means someone who can bring discussions to a meaningful conclusion, define the next steps and ensure that responsibilities are clear.
Meetings are a common example. Many organizations spend considerable time discussing the same problems repeatedly without reaching a decision. An effective manager ensures that discussions result in action. What will be done? Who will do it? When will it be completed? These questions help transform conversation into execution.
Managers should also be willing to review their decisions when circumstances change. Concluding a matter does not mean refusing to accept new evidence. Strong leaders can make a decision, monitor the outcome and adjust their approach when necessary.
Indecision can sometimes feel safer because it avoids immediate responsibility. However, prolonged indecision often transfers the risk and frustration to others.
Good management is therefore a balance. Managers must think carefully, consult the right people and understand the consequences of their decisions. But they must also recognize the moment when further discussion adds little value and action is required.
The most effective managers are not simply holders of information or authority. They are people who can turn information into decisions and decisions into meaningful action.
One major difference between the holder and concluder managers is that the Holder Managers focus more on increasing the number of tasks that they have and the concluder managers expect to increase the number of concluded tasks.
The Organizations with more concluding managers grow much faster as compared to those who nourish holder managers.
If you wish to add on or comment, do it for improving the learnings
Do Share to Spread The Message if You Like
Have a question about this topic?
Get in Touch