Cannabis Management: Being Deliberately Cool

“First, do no harm” Hippocrates

Cannabis workplaces can be chaotic, high stress environments.  Whether it’s an unexpected crisis or just everyday business exigencies, most leaders are inclined to spring into action and problem solve when something goes awry.  Noble acts but they do so at their own peril and that of the firm.  The consequences of rash and emotional decision making is obvious to anyone with life experience.

In business, however, many people see a bias for rapid action as a strength.  Take-charge personalities are respected and lauded.   Furthermore, everyone wants to see problems addressed quickly and decisively.  We also cannot the role of gender:  men (who make up most cannabis leaders) have an inclination and are expected to jump into problem solving mode i.e. tackle issues head-on, seek to fix them, and control the situation.

Unfortunately, reckless leaders can make things worse. Kneejerk responses lead to poor business and people decisions as well as exacerbate internal conflicts and disempower workers.  Not surprisingly, the protagonist often ends up with higher levels of anxiety and career risk.

There are countless example of rash judgements in organizational life.  Someone can be abruptly fired after a disagreement; an expensive marketing campaign is approved based merely on a creative idea or; an expensive acquisition is quickly green-lighted after your key competitor is discovered to be a bidder.

Business and individual performance can improve when managers pause before they pounce.

One way to cope with problems and crises is through what I call being 'Deliberately Cool' or in everyday parlance, ‘having grace under pressure.’ DC are individual and organizational practices that reduce corporate anxiety, improve situational awareness and enable better decision making.  There is research that suggests that using DC-like practices can improve managerial effectiveness & EQ and enhance strategic adaptability.

Displaying grace under pressure is both a learned skill and something that could be integrated into business norms.

Here are some of my DC practices:

1) During stressful periods, impose mandatory cool-off and deliberative time outs;

2) Postpone major decisions until you have key data (what is practically available) and stakeholders on hand;

3) Designate a contrarian to submit an opposing view and challenge assumptions;

4) Stipulate that key decisions cannot be actioned by a single person, or verbally.  Many firms require multiple, signed approvals on key initiatives;

5) Create an ego-friendly culture where leaders feel safe to walk back from bad, impromptu decisions, particularly those vulnerable to sunk cost and double down fallacies.

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