Leadership in Practice
Leadership 7: Judgement when the answer is not obvious
Structure decisions under uncertainty by clarifying purpose, risk, authority, assumptions, options, dissent and the point at which a decision must be revisited.
Clinical safety: Use current guidance, local policy and patient-specific judgement.
Learning objectives
Recognise the leadership work involved in this topic. Separate formal status from role-relevant leadership capability. Apply purpose, authority, evidence and correction to a practical leadership problem. Identify a proportionate action for personal or organisational development.
Core reading
Structure decisions under uncertainty by clarifying purpose, risk, authority, assumptions, options, dissent and the point at which a decision must be revisited. This module is adapted from SAS Leadership in Practice and uses the book as the deeper reading source. The leadership programme is organised into twelve online modules rather than reproducing all twenty-seven book chapters one-for-one. Module 7 draws principally on Chapters 8. Use four tests throughout: what legitimate purpose is being advanced; what authority and responsibility actually exist; what evidence supports the judgement; and how the decision will be translated into action, inspected and corrected. Leadership should not be used to disguise missing authority, resources or governance. For SAS doctors, the practical task is to make existing contribution visible without inflating it. For new consultants and formal leaders, the task is to use newly conferred authority without assuming that title proves every leadership capability. In both cases, role-relevant evidence matters more than status as a shortcut.
