Thursday, November 05, 2009
Can You Make a Decision?
"Be willing to make decisions. That’s the most important quality in a good leader.” -Gen. George S. Patton, Jr
This quote reminded me of an earlier blog post I wrote on Decision-Making. Here is the encore post:
Decision: A determination arrived at after consideration; a report of a conclusion; promptness and firmness in deciding; determination. (Merriam-Webster Dictionary)
If it were up to me, decisions would be made completely by “gut feelings” which proves the necessity of having multiple personality styles on your team. My more emotional method of making decisions is not the best approach in a business setting.
Teams need to discuss what is important and the method / process for reporting conclusions in order to make wise decisions for their organization. Here are the key components to make better decisions.
1. Be Clear You Understand the Context of the Decision
• Clarify the decision. Does everyone know exactly what is being decided?
• Know the deadlines. Does everyone understand the consequences if a decision is not made?
• Collect relevant data. Does everyone comprehend how past and pending decisions relate to each other?
2. Decide Who Needs to Be Involved in the Decision ASK:
• Who has the authority to make the decision?
• Who is ultimately responsible for the results?
• Who will be affected by the decision? Immediately and in the future?
• Who has critical information we need to make the decision?
3. Choose a Decision-Making Method
There are multiple methods for making a decision such as a team vote, one person decides (best used in an emergency situation), or by a subgroup of the team (such as experts). Each of these methods has strengths and weaknesses, but I will focus on the one method most often used by teams…CONSENSUS. Watch for details in the next blog post.
Until next time...Live like you mean it!
Marjorie