"None of us is as smart as all of us."
As a followup to Thursday's post, my answer concerning the decision we need to make is, "Yes. Go For It."
But the consensus - and therefore the decision - is, "No. We're going to pass".
The consensus is that our infrastructure cannot handle the additional responsibilities and work flow at this time. No matter how well a bridge is constructed, if you put too much weight on it, it will collapse.
The consensus is that resources are better placed in acquiring assets (inventory) just now rather than people. People involve risk. Inventory basically doesn't (at least in our industry at the present time).
The consensus is that our efforts are better utilized in securing and strengthening our position in our current area of specialization at this time rather than embracing a new specialty and the learning curve that inherently comes with it. The Jack of All Trades is Master of None.
The consensus is that the candidate available to us is a good catch, but in this economy there are a lot of fish in the sea.
The consensus is that momentum is carrying us forward at present all by itself, and as momentum increases and continues to increase, our focus should be on riding the wave, not creating new ones.
I won't say that I agree with the consensus. But I absolutely agree with the "decision by consensus" management style we use in our business. And I am very proud to be associated with a company that works this way effectively. Hell, I basically created this part of our company structure anyway. How can I criticize it? I have tried to create it before in other paradigms, but only ended up with people who answered however they thought I would answer or said what they thought I wanted to hear. I'm proud of our company, our decision making process and our progress and success.
As to the decision, I'm OK with it too. Part of good decision making is to position the decision in such a way that the answer can be "Yes" without fear or "No" without remorse. This decision absolutely fits that criteria.
I just hope we arrived at the decision through consensus, not complacency.