How to make decisions at the right time, without stifling innovation

– An effective approach to decision-making –

In business leadership, poor decision-making is the most insidious enemy that lurks in boardrooms, strategy meetings, and leadership discussions.

When the platform is burning, the runway is getting shorter and everyone is counting on results, teams can tend to exaggerate their failings in decision-making – for example, by increasing ambiguity in attempts at inclusive consultation; by taking a decision too fast or too slow; or simply by pouring energy and time into the lowest priority decisions. An endless loop of “what-ifs” and “maybe-laters” won’t just delay results but can be fatal. So can a trigger-happy (poorly communicated) decision made in isolation.

The possibilities for going wrong in decision-making are endless. Luckily, there is also a tried and tested process that cuts through these problems, something we proudly share as part of HorizonMethod.

Before you even enter the decision-making race, let’s:

0. Consider the timing of your decision-making

Stalling on a decision is usually blamed on a lack of information. But beware, this can be a dangerous excuse. Decision-making dysfunctions can stem from:

• Clarification-addiction: “We need to know [an excessive amount of] detail.”
• FOMO: “We want to keep all our options open.” 
• Fear of failure: “If we don’t commit, we can’t fail.” 
• Denial: “This isn’t really the decision we need to make.”
• Distraction or procrastination: “There is something else pressing to tend to.”
  

But hasty decision-making is also the enemy of clear, aligned, effective action by teams driving innovation. 

…..

Are either of these familiar? Consider the trade-offs: do you risk waiting for more information and missing an opportunity, or making a wrong decision before useful information is known? 

If you do just one thing, make a deliberate and considered choice about WHEN is the right moment to make your decision. 

A quick reality check and self-diagnosis frees up both you and your fellow senior leaders to invest time and energy effectively in decision-making to achieve business results and ROI. Together, you can put excuses aside and have your eyes on the prize*. 

*And the prizes are timely, good-enough, aligned decisions, clear priorities, people and resources lined up accordingly and coherent and confident action takes place.

For members of the Horizon37 community, here is a brief aide memoire of the work you’ve done with us on decision-making in your boards and senior teams:

1. Clarify and prioritise your top decisions

Are you sure this decision truly matters – to you and to the business? If yes, then how can you quickly determine what to focus on, in order to optimise and prioritise your time and energy? Consciously score the decision out of 5 for impact, complexity and urgency: 

2. Clarify decision-making roles

Avoid ambiguity and assign people into four different roles of a decision-making team.

3. Your time is finite: invest it deliberately

Once your decision clears the bar and gets prioritised – i.e. it’s important, new and owned by you – then you’re ready to allocate appropriate time and attention.  

• Allocate a set amount of time and limit your decision-making to that amount of time.

• Choose your deadline, then free yourself until then. Give yourself the peace of mind to stop fretting/re-visiting the issue. 

4. Follow the four steps to good, clear, aligned decisions

You have the right people involved in the process, now you want everyone to work effectively and efficiently – here’s our tried-and-tested 4-step method for effective decision-making:

5. Commit to the decision made and communicate it with clarity

Once you’ve made a decision, choose to commit to it and communicate it with clarity.
Here is our 4-step communication plan:

1. Manage expectations on timing and criteria for the decision
2. Explain why the decision was made this way, and the desired result
3. Be on message, even if it was not your personally preferred solution
4. Check if the communication was heard and understood.

6. Reflect and improve

Decision-making is a process. Leaders and teams make decisions every day, and need to be good at it – but with so much visionary and forward-looking leadership (which is valuable in scale-ups), it can be easy to rush on from decisions without ever looking back. 

Don’t miss the mission-critical learning opportunities. Especially after big team decisions, do a post-mortem (without blame or pointing fingers) to understand what didn’t work, and what needs to improve. 

If you do this well, you will truly transform the decision-making of your business. 

Good luck!

You’ve got the key information – now it’s time to create some real value with it.

We are here to help your team upskill in decision-making, transforming knowledge into targeted, meaningful results. Our tailored workshops will equip your team with the precise tools to make skillful, timely decisions, then communicate them powerfully. 

Workshop enquiries email: info@horizon37.co.uk