Success Quote by Harri Holkeri

Discussion is a means, not an end. Talk helps surface facts, clarify values, test proposals, and build trust, but without direction it becomes a loop that protects the status quo. Aiming gives conversation structure: it defines what problem is being solved, what trade-offs are acceptable, and when the search for information has reached the point of diminishing returns. The insistence that the final goal must be a decision underscores the moment when responsibility shifts from exploring possibilities to committing to a course of action.

Harri Holkeri spoke from the experience of a statesman and mediator who knew both the power and the limits of dialogue. As a co-chair of the Northern Ireland peace talks, he saw how endless negotiation can become a tactic to avoid change, and how firm deadlines, clear criteria, and a shared understanding of what a decision entails can transform talk into agreement. Deliberation gave the parties voice; decision gave them a future. The point was never to silence debate but to ensure that debate culminated in a choice that could be implemented and held accountable.

There is a discipline embedded here that applies far beyond high politics. In organizations, meetings that end without decisions drain energy, obscure priorities, and leave teams rudderless. Setting an aim before convening, defining decision rights, and documenting outcomes turn conversation into progress. In civic life, democratic legitimacy rests on open discussion, yet legitimacy also requires decisions delivered in time to matter. The art is not speed for its own sake but purposeful momentum.

A decision is an act of courage because it forecloses alternatives and creates obligations. It also liberates effort. Once a decision is made, resources align, experiments can begin, and feedback can improve the next round of choices. Discussion is the tool that sharpens judgment; aiming ensures it cuts in the right direction; deciding turns intention into reality.