White leadership is all about bringing the right balance during a discussion that precedes decision making, and this is the most important criterion which acts as a prelude to success in any new business venture, said Gopinath. P, Co-Founder of 361 Degree Minds.

Speaking at the Conclave of “Excellence” , a Business Network International Chapter of Coimbatore, he said that it is imperative to bring about a balance in the discussion prior to decision making and primarily there is a need to review victories more than failure.

“It is not always about going with your gut instinct. Sometimes counter intuitive thinking may work,” he said citing the example of Abraham World during World War II who suggested strengthening the areas that were not hit, when the popular opinion was to strengthen those that were damaged by the enemy fire.

His reasoning was that the aircraft had come back even though they suffered damage, whereas it was quite possible that the aircraft that were lost had probably been shot in the areas that were undamaged in the returned planes.

Mr Gopinath further noted that there was a need to look beyond the first solution as the same solution could turn into a problem at a later stage. A leader should seek varied solutions so that the best of the lot could be picked.

While an efficient leader should be all ears to the ideas of his employees, he should ensure that his suggestions are not culled at a nascent stage with a host of negativity and impracticability. “It is important to give time for the ideas to evolve,” Mr Gopinath said.

There should also be a right balance in discussing the short-term and long term benefits. For a business venture to tread the right path, there should be a right mix of facts and intuition. “It is usually either mere facts with pie-charts, analytics, data and figures or it is totally “romanticizing”, merely based on feelings and emotions”, he pointed out.

Carrying the baggage of the past or getting influenced by the previous experience, irrespective of whether it is success or failure could also affect clarity of thought, he added.