Glen - thank you for this. I have long thought Shackleton an inspiring example of good leadership and one of the few from adventuring that translates well into the world of work. Indeed, in the UK, too many people revere Scott over Shackleton for his determination to get to the pole no matter what. At the cost of his and his men's lives. Shackleton, on the other hand, determined not to lose a life. This book is exceptional (by British authors I note). As is the US authored 'Leading at the Edge'. But I'd encourage anyone who enjoys your article as much as I did to read Shackleton's own account. Especially the short extract from his longer book, called 'Escape from the Antarctic' in the Penguin Great Journeys series. My own favourite story is when a man made a mistake and Shackleton pitched in to help fix it and never once criticized. The man found the boss's silence more of a rebuke than words would ever be. I've long wanted to write an article like yours, and now you've done one better than I would have! Thank you.

All I can say is: 'production line'.

As with so much in Stephen Covey's 7 Habits, I was interested to see that his circles of influence and concern have deep roots. Thank you for this quote!

As with so much in Stephen Covey's 7 Habits, I was interested to see that his circles of influence and concern have deep roots. Thank you for this quote!

Glen I'm with DA Keldsen - this is your best for a long time - an article I truly wish I'd written. A lot of it shows its Rocky Flats pedigree. I bought that book a long time ago following a post you wrote. Although I found the book a tough read, the principles are foundational to Positive Organizational Psychology. This article clearly articulates many of those ideas. It's a keeper and, dare I say it, fertile substance to base your next book on? And it is, as your comment suggests, very timely in the light of social and political mores either side of the Atlantic! Thank you. Mike

Glen - I normally find myself agreeing with the quotes you post, but not so much this one. The value is independent of cost, so I would say you can know it without knowing the cost. What I do think is true, though, is this. You cannot make a sound decision unless you know the value AND the cost to acquire that value. This is what determines the business case. Mike

Glen Fabulous post. Thank you. Have a great Christmas and New Year Mike

The concept of the hiding hand is very salient in the politics of your country (US) and mine (UK) at the moment, Glen. In yours, you have a politician making exceptionally bold policy statements wino evidence of efficacy, nor implementation capacity. In mine we have exceptional clams about life inside or outside the EU. As one senior civil servant from the UK Ministry of Defence used to say, 'the alternative to evidence-based policy-making is policy-based evidence-making'. I am enormously keen that grand civic projects take place, and tat hope can triumph over pessimism. But this should always be in the context of the best possible analysis, rather than as an alternative to it. We need the big bridges that Flyvbjerg refers to, but we also need to make those decisions knowing the likely cost. I am indebted to you for bringing both the concept of the hiding hand and Flyvbjerg's analysis to my attention. I think it #noestimates is the tip of a societal iceberg in this regard. We have too many political operators working to a #noevidence agenda. Mike