Decisions aren't always decisions!
Some decision aren’t really decisions.
Pete, the manager, comes out of a meeting with a decision. But it’s not really a decision–not something you can rely on and sign up for–because he changes his mind during his very next meeting.
Sarah and her coworkers make a decision after getting together spontaneously to solve a problem that’s been annoying them. But it’s not really a decision because no one in the group has the authority to make that decision.
CEO Taylor and her executive team make a decision. But it’s not really a decision because part of the team doesn’t like the decision, can’t get behind the decision, can’t explain the decision adequately, and may even be heard making comments that undermine it.
George and his task team make a decision during a long and tedious meeting. But it’s not really a decision because it was made out of exhaustion so the meeting could end.
Pat’s working group makes a tough decision. Unfortunately, this one is a decision, but a bad one because they were more worried about avoiding resistance than accomplishing something positive.
You make a decision, perhaps in the middle of the night about exercising more regularly. But it’s not really a decision because it never comes to fruition. It’s just a wish.
How do you ensure decisions are really decisions and not wishful thinking?
How to you ensure they will be implemented and not smothered by resistance, second guesses, or neglect?
Start by being absolutely clear what decision needs to be made. Often you face a situation or a problem, not a decision. You need to unravel that situation or problem to determine what actual decisions are needed to unleash sound progress. In many cases, this unraveling will reveal a cascading series of decisions. If you start with the wrong one, your decision won’t endure. In some cases, you’ll end up like Pete and the very next meeting will make it clear that you didn’t unravel the situation sufficiently to tackle the right decision.
Determine who has the authority to sign-off on the specific decision or decisions before diving in. Whoever has authority first needs to agree that the decision needs to be made. You may want to solve a burning problem, but if the person with that authority considers it a low priority, you could end up just wasting time. Sarah and her coworkers may have hit this roadblock despite all of their hard work and good intentions.
Ensure the person with authority supports your decision making process. Do they want to be involved? Do they believe the group you have selected is appropriate? Do they want you to get more input? If Sarah didn’t hit the priority roadblock, she certainly failed to involve the right people, namely the person with the authority to back the process and the ultimate decision.
Follow a sound decision-making process. CEO Taylor suffered from an inadequate decision making process. She may have crammed her opinion down their throats, which is a really bad process! It is also possible that she thought she was engaging everyone, but in reality her lack of a sound, clear process prevented them from contributing their best and actually agreeing. Did they debate alternatives before agreeing on objectives? Did they fail to consider the risks of the best alternative? Or maybe no one sensed the discomfort that should have sent them back a step or two to find the cause of the concern. Maybe their decision criteria, assuming they had identified decision criteria, were incomplete.
George’s long and tedious meeting guarantees that he either didn’t have a sound process or he failed to follow it. If you know what you are doing, decisions are rarely tedious. But when they are, making a decision out of exhaustion is usually a big mistake. It is far better to stop, revisit what specific decisions are needed, and pay more attention to the process you will use to make them.
Know whom to include. When you cave to fear of resistance, as Pat’s team did, and try to make safe decisions, you almost certainly do not have a good process. And since you don’t have a good process, you don’t know whom to include in each step of that process. There are only two reasons to include others in a decision. One is because you need their brains, knowledge, and experience to make a smart decision. The other is because you need their cooperation and support in order for the decision to be accepted and successful. This doesn’t mean you need to include everyone and his brother, but it does mean people who adequately represent the interests of those whose commitment you need.
Last, but not least, be sure your decision is supported by concrete steps that will ensure successful implementation. You can’t just wish for a new outcome. Most decisions need to be followed by additional decisions that establish realistic, concrete steps to achieve your goal. This starts with my trademark question: “What will be different when we are done?” followed by identifying necessary concrete, tangible changes and actions. What will you start doing? What will trigger those actions? What will you stop doing? How will you know if you are succeeding? How will you know if you aren’t? What risks do you face and what will you do to minimize or eliminate those risks? This planning for success represents a slew of additional decisions. Be sure you treat those decisions with proper respect and process clarity as well.
In a nutshell, good decisions require:
- A clear statement as to what the decision to be made is exactly.
- A clear, transparent process that ensures the intermediate outcomes essential to a sound decision are achieved objectively and in order so everyone knows where things stand, what has been accomplished thus far, and what comes next.
- The right people involved at each step so that your decisions are smart and accepted.
- A leader strong and insightful enough to ensure confirmation of the decision statement as well as the completion of each step. This includes recognizing when discomfort means a previous step must be revisited.
- A clear outcome—what will be different when we are done?
- Additional decisions that identify concrete action.
Don’t waste your time and the time of others making decisions that aren’t really decisions! Time is simply too precious.
