“What if I’m wrong?”

When engineers and scientists take on leadership roles, they sometimes need to take action without as much information as they would like. “What if I’m wrong?” they ask. Bob Johnson—a Navy pilot in WWII, executive at Honeywell, and president of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers—told us how he learned to get past his doubts.

“One of my heroes was a guy named Ed Lund. He said, ‘In your management style, always make a decision, because you’re going to be right 70% of the time. Don’t procrastinate. Make a decision, because you can always correct a wrong decision.’”

“Here’s why I think that rule works,” Johnson said. “Mistakes are usually inconveniences, seldom tragedies. But if you never make a decision, you’re always afraid. We are so risk averse that nothing gets done. Some people have a hard time making a decision. That doesn’t mean they are bad people, they just can’t manage stuff. In most cases they bring other qualities and knowledge that leaders don’t possess.”

The Engineer’s Guide to Authentic Leadership features candid interviews with leaders like Bob. We think you’ll enjoy reading their stories.