Decision making becomes more political—less about authority, and more about influence. That isn’t good or bad; it’s simply inevitable. There are two major reasons this is so. First, the issues you’re dealing with become much more complex and ambiguous when you move up a level—and your ability to identify “right” answers based solely on data and analysis declines correspondingly. Decisions are shaped more by others’ expert judgments and who trusts whom, as well as by networks of mutual support. Second, at a higher level of the organization, the other players are more capable and have stronger
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