Right Decision, Right Reason Test
Protect the whole organization by testing tough calls against purpose and fairness
- Difficulty
- Advanced
- Time to result
- ~ongoing to results
- Steps
- 6
- Confidence
- 94%
Brady says leaders often struggle when a person who helped grow a business no longer has the skills required for its next stage. Her decision rule begins with responsibility for the whole organization, including employees, shareholders, and what the business stands for. The leader defines the current need, compares it with the person's demonstrated fit, and tries to remove personal discomfort or sentimental loyalty from the assessment. The proposed action must then pass a second test: it should be the right decision for the right reason, not a convenient pretext. Kindness and respect remain part of execution, especially in a people business. The framework seeks a defensible decision, not an emotionless one.
Origin
Brady connects Birmingham City's turnaround with making difficult personnel changes. She says leaders can hesitate when a long-serving person's earlier skill set no longer matches what the next stage requires.
Core principles
- 01The organization's wider responsibility matters in a difficult call
- 02A role's required skills can change as a business grows
- 03Past contribution does not guarantee permanent role fit
- 04Emotion should be reduced but kindness should remain
- 05A defensible decision needs the right reason as well as the desired result
How to run it
- 1
Define the current need
State what the organization now requires from the role and why that requirement has changed.
Pro tip Use present strategy and responsibilities rather than a vague desire for change.
Watch out Do not retrofit requirements to justify a preferred outcome.
- 2
Assess the fit
Compare the required skills with demonstrated performance and development potential.
Pro tip Separate the person's value from their fit for one particular role.
Watch out A fair assessment needs evidence and applicable process.
- 3
Remove irrelevant emotion
Identify whether loyalty, guilt, conflict avoidance, or personal irritation is distorting the judgement.
Pro tip Ask whether you would make the same assessment without the personal history.
Watch out Reducing bias does not mean ignoring human impact.
- 4
Test the reason
Confirm that the action serves a legitimate organizational purpose and is not driven by convenience, prejudice, or retaliation.
Pro tip Write the reason in language you could defend to those affected.
Watch out Follow employment law and qualified advice where required.
- 5
Choose the fair action
Consider development, reassignment, changed scope, or separation and choose an effective option with the least avoidable harm.
Pro tip Do not assume dismissal is the only response to changed fit.
- 6
Act with kindness
Communicate directly, respectfully, and with appropriate support while preserving the person's dignity.
Pro tip Explain the business need without diminishing past contribution.
Watch out Kind language cannot repair an unfair process.
In the wild
Brady describes the difficulty of recognizing that a long-serving employee's skills may have suited the company's growth stage but not its next one. She frames the leader's responsibility as protecting the success of the wider business while still doing the right thing for the right reason.
→ Role fit is assessed against current needs rather than tenure alone.
Common mistakes
Letting tenure decide fit
Past loyalty and contribution do not by themselves establish that the same role fit continues.
Removing humanity with emotion
Trying to reduce bias should not remove kindness, respect, or consideration of consequences.
Using purpose as a pretext
A claimed business reason must be genuine, evidence-based, and applied through a fair process.
Is it for you?
Best for
It is best for leaders reassessing responsibilities or personnel as an organization moves into a new stage.
Not ideal for
It is not ideal as permission to ignore employment law, due process, evidence, or the human consequences of a decision.
From the transcript
“that person's skill set was great when we were growing the business”
“you have to try and remove as much emotion as you can out of it”
“you must never underestimate the power of kindness”
From the episode
Karren Brady: How To Win At Entrepreneurship & Love (at the same time)