One thing I’ve been pondering recently is the corporate decision-making process. Leadership, in any company, is required to make decisions, be innovative, create the future vision, and, well, lead the company.
A common theme in this process, essentially, is, “How can I know for sure that this is the right decision? How can I 100% guarantee that this will have the predicted results?”
This has confused me, because I can’t think of any decision, big or small, anywhere in life, where you have a 100% guarantee that you’re making the right choice. Or that things will progress precisely as expected.
As Annie Duke writes in Thinking in Bets, everything has a probabilistic outcome. And nothing is 100% guaranteed. Interesting note: It is possible to make the right decision and still have an undesired outcome.
Making the decision is just the beginning. Once you decide, you are not done. I’m not sure who needs to hear that, but I do recall in my career having a leader wonder why nothing has changed since the decision was made over a week ago.
The decision made is not the plan implemented. Deciding which road to take does not put me at my destination. How do we get from the decision to the success we desire? What are the steps or the traits that will lead us to success?
Too many buyer/seller relationships are completed at the Transaction. Money for Product. Like it’s a hostage release situation. We need a better way.
- Roadmap: We need the details of how the process unfolds. Once we say “yes”, what is next (broadly) all the way to the end. See Graphic.
- Confidence: The decision needs to have a likelihood of success. The choice needs to make sense (generally). Specifics will vary, so don’t get bogged down in precise dollar savings. And the subjective wins must also be considered.
- Intentionality: Be aware that if you are deciding to change something, there is a concept called Change Management that will require time and effort from many.
- Expectation Management: Some might call this Timelining. Knowing something will change vs knowing when it will change. I like to use update meetings, with a cadence, agenda framework, and an open dialogue for questions and support.
Surprises will happen. If you make decisions knowing this, you’ll be better prepared. And don’t forget, surprises can be good and positive too.
John Melbye
