As an inventor of systemic decision-making models, I’ve worked with well-meaning leaders, coaches, sellers, and managers who frequently end up with inadequate decisions and difficult implementations. There are several reasons for this:

1. Too often incomplete information is collected because leaders define goals without including the voices of those directly involved with the problem/solution, causing incomplete data collection, time delays, resistance, or results that either can’t be implemented or maintained over time.
2. Sometimes faulty assumptions end up misrepresenting important data sets; risk management is frequently overlooked.
3. Far too often, standard decision-making processes consider and weigh options too early in the process.

I’d like to share what I think are the often-ignored initial stages of decision making that would make it possible to achieve successful, timely, risk free, and successful outcomes that are implemented easily, with buy-in; evade resistance; and are maintained over time.

STEPS OF DECISION MAKING

Stage One: Assemble or represent (in large organizations, it could be a representative of a group) those currently involved with the problem as well as those who will ‘touch’ the ultimate solution. Excluding any of these folks means

• the originating problem cannot be fully defined and incomplete data is collected for goal setting;
• ownership (buy-in), creativity, consensus, and a full set of solution ideas won’t be obtained;
• resistance, implementation issues, and failure are possibilities;
• risks won’t be recognized and addressed in a timely way;
• human issues – trust, fear, ego slights – won’t be noticed until too late;
• data gathering, research, weighing, and choice will be limited or unreliable;
• time delays and inefficiencies become probabilities;
• difficulty making accurate, long term decisions that get maintained.

Rule: Buy-in, risk management, and a complete data set is needed to accurately define a problem and set the stage for efficient implementation and maintenance. This requires leaders to begin projects by including, as part of the initial discovery and goal-setting, the full representation of the people who have been part of the problem and will touch the final solution.

Stage One concludes with a complete, accurate, stated goal that includes the values/beliefs of the system, agreement to manage any unforeseen risks that must be managed and buy-in by all who will use the final output.

Stage Two: The system and risks that underlies the problem/solution must be understood and managed by all before going forward toward resolution. Questions to be answered:

• Are there alternative solutions that can be tried (workarounds) before anything new is considered?
• What has prevented the problem from being resolved until now (current systems, politics, rules, relationships, money, technology)?
• What must be managed to set the stage to do something different and ensure buy-in, ownership, creativity, idea generation, and transparency?
• Are the full set of the risks of change understood and steps put in place to manage beforehand?
• What plans are in place to resolve any obstructions?
• Is the system set up for change? What systems are in place for the new solution to be created, implemented, and maintained optimally? Are all representative people included at the time of the goal definition?

Rule: Because outputs are restricted by the input, before the formal change process commences, it’s necessary to manage whatever has kept the problem from being resolved so flawed elements can be reviewed and new systems can be put in place to represent the new solution.

Stage Two concludes with an understanding of, and plans to resolve, the systems that have maintained the problem and replaced with new systems to generate, implement, and maintain the new solution.

Stage Three: Once goals have been set with all representative voices, workarounds have been found insufficient, the risks of change known and managed, and there’s buy-in from all who will touch the new solutions, standard decision-making models and processes take over.

SKILLS FOR STEPS

To accomplish these early-stage decision making steps, you’ll need these skills:

• Collaborative leadership skills to ensure all voices are represented and included to avoid restricted goal-setting.
• Self/Observer/Choice. The ability to move between Self (our natural, unconscious, automatic, restricted, biased state) and Observer (our on-the-ceiling, dispassionate, rational, conscious viewing of a broad set of possibilities).
• Rules of trust agreed upon in group.
• Understanding the Steps of Change.
• Risks defined and plans to address agreed upon.
• Willingness to give up early biases.
• Facilitative Questions™ to ensure data gathered is unbiased.
• Listening without bias. Natural listening involves distortions, deletions, and biases from our brain causing listeners to hear and interpret incoming data uniquely. Extra steps must be taken to verify accuracy.

Sample

Too many decision-making processes start by being defined by leaders who assume needs and overlook assembling a full representation of stakeholders, causing flawed data collection, no awareness of the risks of change, difficult goal setting, and difficulty implementing, not to mention the probability of resistance and struggle over time.

If you would like help ensuring these early steps get done completely, I’d love to coach you and your team through the process. sharondrew@sharondrewmorgen.com

___________________

Sharon-Drew Morgen is a breakthrough innovator and original thinker, having developed new paradigms in sales (inventor Buying Facilitation®, listening/communication (What? Did you really say what I think I heard?), change management (The How of Change™), coaching, and leadership. She is the author of several books, including her new book HOW? Generating new neural circuits for learning, behavior change and decision making, the NYTimes Business Bestseller Selling with Integrity and Dirty Little Secrets: why buyers can’t buy and sellers can’t sell). Sharon-Drew coaches and consults with companies seeking out of the box remedies for congruent, servant-leader-based change in leadership, healthcare, and sales. Her award-winning blog carries original articles with new thinking, weekly. www.sharon-drew.com She can be reached at sharondrew@sharondrewmorgen.com.