Written by: Jennifer Dougherty, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
Take a moment to think back on some of the most challenging decisions you have made, and they can be any area of your life. Got them? Good! Next step, think about the process/strategy you used to make those decisions. Did you use a similar process for each decision? Did you ask for advice or input? Or was there no process/strategy at all?
So, at this point, you might ask yourself, “Why are you asking such questions?”As a leader or manager, decisions are often challenging and come with great responsibility and cost. “With great power comes great responsibility” – Uncle Ben, Spiderman (and yes, I went there). Leaders’ decisions impact employees, stakeholders, business outcomes, and organizations. Given these factors and others, exploring our decision-making process/strategy from time to time can yield a plethora of information about ourselves as leaders and people and how we show up in the world.
Now think about when you had to decide; what was your first response? What emotions came up? Was your fight, flight, or freeze response lit up? I was curious to know what other coaches were encountering with decision-making when partnering with their leadership and management clients on the topic, so I asked a group of trusted coaches with decades of experience. They, like other experts, found some common themes when it comes to decision-making.
Deciding
Emotions such as fear, self-doubt, confidence, vulnerability, and compassion may bubble up at the start of needing to make a decision. When exploring those first emotions, another level may exist, such as fear of making the wrong decision, an unpopular decision, failure, or success. Other fears may be loss of control or just deciding in general (decision fatigue, decision lock, or analysis paralyze). Then there is the fear tied to the outcomes of the decision, taking responsibility for the decision, and the fear of change that may crop up as well.
For others, self-doubt, confidence, and vulnerability can lead to second-guessing oneself, not having enough or too much confidence in a decision, comparing oneself to others, or worrying about other people’s perceptions. In addition, compassion and empathy could affect the decision-making process. With these aspects coming up before even deciding and awareness of the impact these thoughts and emotions can have on the decision-making process, where does one start?
Aspects to include in decision-making
Acknowledge and validate the thoughts and feelings occurring. Being self-aware, utilizing emotional intelligence, communicating, and collaborating can aid in decreasing blind spots and biases to play a more prominent role in decision-making than needed. Then identify the problem and the decision to be made. At times the outcomes, cost, and impact of a decision may not be as expected because the problem(s) and the decision(s) to take have not been appropriately identified.
It is essential to recognize that the process you usually undertake may not be the most effective or efficient for every situation—context matters. Since context matters, collect and review relevant information and data from various perspectives. Next, envision the outcome(s) and impact(s) you would like to have via the decision. Then play the “What if” game (a favorite of mine) and devil’s advocate to generate viable alternatives, options, and pivots points, examine what failure and success look like, and explore worst-case scenarios.
Afterward, weigh the alternatives and options. This is an aspect of the process that you do not rush – feeling comfortable and confident is essential. Various tools help with this, from decision maps/matrices to good old fashion pro and con lists or an impartial third party to function as a sounding board (e.g., a leadership coach – wink, wink). Once you have decided, gain feedback from those who will be impacted and implement the decision. What may seem practical and doable may not be when you start learning about the behind-the-scenes nature of the decision. After gaining feedback on a decision, re-evaluate it before implementing it.
Then reflect on the decision. Reflect not only on the decision but also on the process you used to make the decision, the outcomes and impact the decision had, and how you identified the problem and the decision to be made. Take a moment and reflect on the process, outcome(s), and impact(s) of the decision(s) that came to you at the start of this article. What did you learn about yourself? How will you evolve your process, or will you? Was there fallout or collateral damage? How can you aid in the implementation and ease the decision’s impact?
Other considerations
There are other considerations to keep in mind when making a decision. Depending on the decision, not deciding is a choice. If this is the case, be aware that this might frustrate others. By being transparent and communicating openly about your process, you may not gain their agreement, but you might gain their trust and respect. Additionally, balance decisions with not only logical reasoning, evidence, and data but with intuition and emotions (e.g., compassion and empathy). Finally, values, morals, ethics, and boundaries are aspects of self that will also guide decision-making. So, allow these aspects to help guide you.
Concluding thoughts
Decision-making, in general, is challenging. Is it just me, or is even deciding what is for dinner a struggle some days? All right, moving on. All joking aside, decisions can be even more challenging for leaders and managers. The exact process you use to make one decision may not work for the next, and several decisions are usually complex and complicated. So, suppose you need and want support in your decision-making process. In that case, I welcome you to reach out to me via LinkedIn or my website about the possibilities of partnering to see how I can be that impartial sounding board and help you think differently about your process.
Jennifer Dougherty, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Dr. Jennifer E. Dougherty is a ICF and iPEC certified leadership coach, organizational consultant, and trainer and facilitator. She is passionate about helping leaders at multiple levels and organizations be the best versions of themselves. Dr. Dougherty has been helping organizations and leaders who needed assistance changing their organization’s culture, providing work-life harmony for themselves and their employees, increasing teamwork, engagement, collaboration, and voicing. While at the same time decreasing turnover, organizational silence, burnout, and absenteeism. She is the founder and lead coach of Dougherty Coaching and Consulting and believes that the primary purpose of life is to learn and develop.
References:
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Campbell, A., Whitehead, J., & Finkelstein, S. (2009). Why good leaders make bad decisions. Harvard business review, 87(2), 60-6.
Confer, M. (2019). 4 key components of effective decision making for leaders. ATD Blog.
Landry, L. (2020). Why managers should involve their team in the decision-making process. Harvard Business School - HBS Online - Business Insights.
Onley, D. (2019). How leaders can make better decisions: Choose a process and style that fits the situation. SHRM - HR Magazine, Fall 2019.
Perry, E. (2022). Improve your management skills with a better decision-making process. BetterUp Blog.
Snowden, D. J., & Boone, M. E. (2007). A leader's framework for decision making. Harvard business review, 85(11), 68.
Tsipursky, G. (2020). 8-step leadership decision-making process for make the best decisions. LinkedIn Blog.
