Written by Alan Berson, Author, Leadership Conversations
Common Decision-Making Challenge:
Think of the most important decision your team needs to make. It must be correct and you know that everyone must be in agreement or the subsequent actions will not succeed. But there are 10 to 15 on your team, with three to five hiding in the shadows. They have voted yes on critical decisions in the past but did not actively support them and the initiative failed.
Sound typical? It happens more than we want to admit. There is a simple yet powerful cure.
The Solution:
Once you have come to a decision, ask everyone on your team to write down a number that represents their CONFIDENCE that the decision that has just been made will enable you to reach your goals. Thank each person who responds with 80% or more for their confidence and support. Also thank each person who is at less than 80% and then ask what it would take for them to reach an 80% confidence level. These discussions can address each person’s concerns and/or make modifications to the decision that has been made while you work to get them to an 80% confidence level. Now, the entire team is ready — and willing — to move forward in alignment.
The Thought Process:
Once everyone is at 80%, they will be invested in success, not in apathy or failure. They will not only actively take the steps to support the decision, but they will also be on the alert for new information which can improve the probability of success. And here is the trick: they know that you as a leader are willing to listen and be agile.
Wondering why I used 80% as a standard instead of a higher number? Because leadership decisions rarely can time-effectively collect enough information to get above that mark. If lives are at stake, go to the 99.99% confidence level that is routinely used by experts such as engineers and scientists. Otherwise, 80% can result in leadership excellence.
Read Berson’s previous column When Time is of the Essence on WashingtonExec.
Alan Berson is an author, keynote speaker, executive coach, Learning Director at Wharton Executive Education and the CEO of Leadership Conversation LLC based in Potomac, MD. His recent book, LEADERSHIP CONVERSATIONS: Challenging High-Potential Managers to Become Great Leaders, was released by Jossey-Bass in March of this year and was named as one of the top 10 management/leadership books by Amazon.com. An extensive review can be found at Knowledge@Wharton.
