The National Speakers Association decided to change their name and brand to PLATFORM recently. The decision stirred up so much anger that the President of the Association decided to put the change (two years in the making) on hold. Why so much anger, you ask? Three reasons: a perception by the membership that is was arbitrary; it was announced cold turkey without any build up over the past year, and finally, many members felt that there was no real consideration for member input and opinion.
As in most circumstances that stir up this kind of heat and anger, it isn’t the name and brand change alone that created the problem but the way in which it was done. So how about you? To what extent do you carefully and meticulously consider the impact of decisions you make (at work and/or at home)? Do you fully involve those the decision will most dramatically effect while not allowing the process to be bogged down? How much consideration is given to the unintended consequences of the decision you are making?
Good decision-making is as much about HOW the decision is made as it is WHAT decision was made. I know, I know, you are saying that getting people involved slows the process. True. So it’s really about getting enough input from those effected without bogging things down. This is equally true at home and at work. Consider the ‘how’ as much as the ‘what’.
Repairing the damage from sloppy or poorly thought out decision-making will take much more time than carefully managing the process.
Here are some questions to ask yourself:
1. Who and how many does this pending decision effect?
2. What are the unintended consequences of this decision?
3. Have I communicated fully and sensitively the case for the decision?
4. To what extent am I open to feedback and counter opinions?
5. What would happen if the decision just wasn’t made?
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