There are several factors that influence the business decisions we make
- Cultural norms - Everyone else is doing it this way
- Tradition - We have always done it this way (policy)
- Reason - It is logical to do it this way
- Emotion - It feels like we should do it this way (right thing to do)
So what, how does this help with effective decision making?
These factors can be used as decision making criteria to ensure that current decision are linked to the purpose and values of the organization.
Try this ….Form each of the above into a question to help guide effective decisions
- Will what others are doing helping us meet our purpose within our values set (are we staying on track and true to our principles)?
- Will what we have done in the past continue to help us achieve our purpose going forward (are the strategies still effective)?
- Is it logical that what we hope to accomplish (goals) will move us closer to achieving our purpose (are our goals still appropriate)?
- Do we feel like this is the right thing to do (does it align with our values set)?
This simple process can help maintain focus and alignment in the midst of change. al
Alan Adyniec Leadership effectiveness achieving results, business success, Effective leadership, making business decsions
Who is usually responsible for
· Successes – ????? The executive team, planning dept., middle mgmt., frontline staff, everyone????
· Failures - ???? usually nobody.
o Frequently a rigorous round of the “blame game” breaks out. Management points the finger at staff for poor execution. Staff point back by questioning the competency of management. Or…
o In some misguided efforts to develop more “positive work environments” successes are shared by everyone but failures simply get brushed aside as outside of anyone’s control. (“It is a difficult market, consumers are fickle, we just can’t catch a break, every one is taking a hit right now” etc.)
A better approach… Learning!
- Successes –The leadership involves staff in identifying the behaviors that led to the success so that the success can be repeated and the behaviors adopted by others.
- Failures – First, refrain from “shame and blame” it is utterly unproductive. Instead involve staff in a non threatening discussion focused on
- What was expected to happen (goal)
- What actually happened
- What should have been done differently
- Gaining agreement (commitment) to getting better results next time.
I think you will find a positive and more performance oriented work environment.
I know this seems incredibly simplistic but try to think of a time in the last year that your organization actually handled a success or failure in this manner. al
Alan Adyniec Employee engagement, Leadership effectiveness achieving results, business learning, business success, Effective leadership, employee enagagement
Control based leadership does work. It is the leadership style that took us through the 20th century. The question is; Is (or was) control based leadership the most effective method? The answer according research is NO! If you had a chance to review the HBS blog and video of Eric Schmidt in my last post you can see that Google’s leadership style is an open and trust based leadership approach. It could easily be termed “out of control” leadership. Yet Google achieves great results through innovation. Control stifles innovation.
Most leadership teams operate under the delusion that they are not control based. Why, because it is really hard to see your own behaviors and how they affect others. I believe that control based leadership is the primary reason that Employee Engagement surveys show very little improvement after investments of years and billions. al
Alan Adyniec Uncategorized achieving results, Innovative leadership, Trust
Must see! Gary Hamel of Harvard Business School summarizes some incredible insights into the future of leadership… which by the way has already begun. As a bonus the video of Eric Schmidt, CEO of Google is compelling though a bit long. I planned on watching for 5 min. but could not turn it off. al
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Alan Adyniec Employee engagement, Leadership effectiveness Effective leadership, employee enagagement, Google's Leadership approach, Innovative leadership