Decisions, Decisions
The Art of Making the Right Ones

By Jim Stavis

I once had a boss who had a decisive personality. He knew what he wanted and knew how to get it done. I remember sitting in his office one day when a factory worker came in holding two parts in his hands. He asked my boss which one was acceptable to use. My boss quickly responded, “Use that one,” as he pointed to the one he wanted. As the worker left, I asked him, “Why did you choose that one?” since to me they looked the same. His response was one that I will never forget. He said, “He needed a decision to be made and I made it. Either part would have worked.”

Sometimes just making a decision is the right decision. Sometimes it is not that simple. The reality is that in the face of ambiguity, uncertainty and conflicting demands, often under great time pressure, leaders must make decisions and take effective actions to assure the survival and success of their organizations. There is a book out now called “Judgment – How Winning Leaders Make Great Calls” by Noel Tichy that examines this phenomenon. The author goes back to the Roman Empire and says, “When Cicero spoke, people marveled. When Caesar spoke, people marched. Leadership is not simply speech. It is speech that makes people march. Good judgment without action is worthless.”

Good leaders not only make better calls, but they are also able to discern the really important ones and get a higher percentage of them right. They are better at the whole process, from seeing the need for a call, to framing issues, to figuring out what is critical to mobilizing the troops. Making successful judgments is hard. It takes character and ability as well as courage and decisiveness.




DELIVERY BY AIR

A few months ago, a customer called us with a special delivery requirement. They needed two truckloads of steel to be delivered to the 84th floor of the Arco Tower in downtown Los Angeles. The air conditioning system needed to be overhauled. So on a sunny Saturday morning in January, the streets were closed off on Figueroa and Sixth where a lone helicopter could cherry pick steel beams off our truck and hoist them atop the Arco Tower. We took some photos of the delivery.




PARAGON STEEL TRIVIA

• 5% of beverage cans produced in Europe and Asia are made of steel. Only 45% are made from aluminum.
• 0.21 ounces is the amount of pure gold required in an Olympic gold medal. The medals usually weigh about 5 ounces.
• In 1935, the first parking meter was installed in Oklahoma City. The first meter required one nickel for each hour of parking. Today, meters in Oklahoma City give parkers three minutes for a nickel. 1
• In 1903, there were 21 cyclists who completed the first Tour de France. The athletes rode fixed gear bikes that weighed 31 pounds. Today, tour bikes weigh about 16 pounds and have 20 gears.
• In 1988, Paragon Steel opened its doors above an Irish pub on 2nd St. in Long Beach. They had to close on St. Patrick’s Day because of too much noise downstairs.