Some questions to clarify decisions

In a couple of recent posts, I looked at the stages in the decision-making process and finessing the decision-making process, drawn from an HBR blog post by Su (25 May 2016).

Since reading Su's post (25 May 2016), I feel that a brief training session to staff explaining the three levels, and then asking for where each participant is in their process is a great tool for ensuring clarity in meetings and projects.

I am aiming to help to implement this where I work this year.

However, the richness from this particular article doesn't end with these two posts. Su also posted a very useful list of questions that we can use to help colleagues better understand where each other is in the decision-making process (25 May 2016).If we have colleagues who appear to flip-flop, ask them:

• Where are you in the process currently: 1, 2 or 3?
• "What is the governance or decision-making process on this, and where are you in that?
• "What conflicts are you experiencing in getting to clarity?
• "What information or support do you feel you need to get to conviction on this?
• "Can you get back to me by [day, date, time] after you’ve had a chance to digest this?"

If we are a flip-flopper, say where we are in the process (ie, 1, 2 or 3), and ask:

• "Could you be a sounding board? I need to hear myself talk out loud.
• "I need to factor in the impact on people and how we’ll execute this before moving forward.
• "That’s a great question. I need a night to sleep on this and then I’ll get back to you.
• "I need to see how this unfolds organically. What do you need to stay in the loop or how can "I minimize the impact on you and your team as we see where the chips fall?
• "What specifically and literally are you looking for and by when?"

Su concludes by pointing out that with these tools, "we can cut to the chase and find out the truth of what someone’s actually thinking and feeling with more grace, openness, and compassion."

Then we all win.


Sam

• Reference: Su, Amy Jen (25 May 2016). What to Do When a Colleague Can’t Stick to a Decision. Retrieved 25 May 2016 from https://hbr.org/2016/03/what-to-do-when-a-colleague-cant-stick-to-a-decision?cm_mmc=email-_-newsletter-_-management_tip-_-tip_date&referral=00203&utm_source=newsletter_management_tip&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=tip_date