Quick Decisions:  A sign of good leadership?

A good leader makes quick decisions, right?

It depends.  In a crisis, decide fast.  Otherwise decide more slowly, utilizing all the time available.

Rudy Giuliani, in his book Leadership writes that "Even though leaders should take as much time as available to make decisions, the process of making the decision should begin immediately.  If a decision is due in five days, the time to start researching and considering the matter is now, not four days on."

As soon as you realize a decision must be made:

a.      Determine the window of opportunity.  By when does this decision need to be made?  You will often find that you have more time than you thought.  Ensuring that the decision is made within this timeframe helps avoid the opposite problem: analysis paralysis.

b.      Begin immediately to clarify   1) your objectives  and 2) the options and alternatives that can help you reach your objectives.  3) the risks associated with each alternative.

 c.      Encourage debate amongst your team.  Ask tough questions and challenge them.  Don not take sides until the last minute when you are ready to decide.

Story:  Colman Mockler and the Gillette Razor:  Plastic or Steel?

In the early 1980s Gillette was losing market share to Bic's plastic throwaway razors and the company needed to decide how to compete.

Many in the organization believed that Gillette should compete head-to-head with their own lines of disposable razors.  Others felt the company should invest millions of dollars to develop superior metal razors.

For nearly two years CEO Colman Mockler let his people argue their positions.  They debated the facts, the trends and other information.  Mockler refused to take sides.

Finally, he decided:  Gillette would invest in the development of sophisticated metal razors.  Taking all the time available helped him deeply understand the dynamics.  Mockler’s decision led directly to the development and legendary success of Gillette's shaving systems like the spring-mounted sensor and the Mach 3.

Dov Gordon's CEO Thought-Provoker Questions:

        i.      Does decision-making take too long in your organization?  Or, conversely, do people fail to utilize all the time they really have available for decision making?

       ii.      Do you ever fall into the trap of listening to the last or loudest voices, placing too much weight on individual factors or making decisions that people arena really committed to acting on?

     iii.      Do team members openly debate the facts and the factors – or are people afraid of stepping on someone’s toes?

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Dov Gordon works with senior executives at small and mid-sized companies around the world to help them take greater control over their businesses.  Client benefits include earning the trust and respect of their marketplace, making better decisions, clarifying their strategy, sharpening their focus and improving teamwork.

Need help with decision making?  Choosing a focus?  Clarifying your strategy?  Improving team work?  Contact us.  We can help you.

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Copyright 2005 © by Dov Gordon.  All rights reserved.