How do you make your decisions as a leader? Some people are in the “knee-jerk” reaction
camp, some have the “I’m the boss” style, others in the “what’s in it for me”
area, and still others are the “paralysis by analysis” type. There are many kinds in between of course. I’m sure the experts will tell us that there
is no one right answer to the question posed, and I’d have to agree.
Futurist Stowe Boyd has written that there is an enormous
lie underlying business decisions, wherein people think they are made
rationally, logically and with expertise and evidence. All this is then carefully weighed against
alternatives and then THE DECISION is made.
That’s the lie. According to many
scientific studies, decisions are usually made using our own biases, limited
knowledge of the situation, and a belief that we know more than anyone
else. Ouch.
As leaders I think we all need to assess ourselves honestly
and think about what type of decision makers we are. Once we have faced that hurdle, and then
take our own egos out of the equation, we are better prepared to be leaders
who make decisions for those who have entrusted us with the title of “Leader”. We need to start making the lie the reality!
The Harvard Business Review developed a checklist for
decision making. I’ll paraphrase it for
brevity, but it’s a good checklist to use if you truly want to get a decision
that is best for the organization:
1. Write down a few
business goals that will be impacted by the decision.
2. What are a few
realistic alternatives to your problem?
3. What is the most
important information you are MISSING? Recall
Donald Rumsfeld and his “known unknown” speech.
He knew that factoring in things you know you don’t know will help you
make a better decision.
4. What is the likely
aftermath of the decision you choose? Can
you live with the consequences?
5. Involve a team to
help make the decision. Ultimately the
call is up to the leader, the decision-maker, of course. But there’s no reason to make a decision in a
vacuum especially if you’ve checked your ego at the door. Strong emotions can derail prudent decision
making.
6. Check for buy in
from your team. If it’s six to one, and
you’re the one, it may not be the right decision for the organization.
7. Last, schedule a
meeting for an after action discussion at a later date. Track decisions that
have been made. Learning how you can do
things better in the future is a valuable thing.
I’ll admit that following these steps could be pretty
difficult, but I’m going to try to incorporate them into my decision-making in
the future. I’m just one person and I
need to be surrounded by professionals and confidants that I trust to help me
succeed. Yes, the decision rests with
me. As President Truman said, “The buck
stops here.” But there’s no reason smart
people can’t help me get there. I don’t want
to be a good leader; I aspire to be a great leader.
I read this once before and wrote it down. I no longer have the attribution, so I’ll just
say the following is not my quote:
“Great leaders understand how to balance emotion with reason
and make decisions that positively impact themselves, their employees, their customers
and stakeholders, and their organizations.”
