I’m back from my unintentional hiatus. Things were a little crazy, I’m thinking through a post to explain it but it’s definitely too soon. More on that later…
After working with different organizations and layers within those organizations, one thing that tends to be easier to spot in how they function is their decision making ability. Some groups are fast acting. They like speed and it shows in their work, their pace, and the authority they believe they have to make decisions. Some groups tend to be slow, like watching honey slowly collapse off of a spoon. Not many organizations or teams have a medium pace. One that is thoughtful in approach yet seemless in transitioning from step to step. It’s almost like seeing an ice skater glide.
Decisions are something we all face throughout our day, so why does it seem like some decisions paralyze us and others we fly through? These takeaways have helped me keep decisions on track and keep goals moving forward.
1. Gather the right people. Notice I didn’t say gather the whole team or decide by yourself. There are absolutely times when everyone should be a part of the decision making process, there’s just not a lot of times when that much input is actually helpful. Who are the people responsible? Who are the influencers to help cascade the decision? Who is most affected? These 3 people groups are critical to knowing your audience for the decision. If you can include at least one person from each of these, you’ll have the brain power to ensure the decision has been well thought through. Even entrepreneurs have others that will fall into these categories. There’s no such thing as a one man show (at least no good ones).
2. Consider your time. Is this a decision that will stop other work from being done? How will other areas of your business be impacted if you wait? Knowing the urgency of the decision will afford you mulling ideas over or will grind other processes to a halt. Once you understand the impact this decision has on other areas, it will help ensure the timing is right.
3. Determine the risk. If the decision is low risk and high reward, it’s a no brainer. If it’s high risk, high reward, you’ll want to double check that the work put in is solid and simple mistakes aren’t costing you more than you bargained for.
Once you have the right people in the room, the timeline is understood, and you’ve grasped the risk, you’re primed to move into decision making space. Some decisions carry more weight than others and that is OK. These 3 takeaways will help you know when the load is light and you can breeze through or if the burden is heavy and it’s appropriate to move a little slower.
Amanda Woods 