How to be Bold and Decisive When It Matters Most

How do high-functioning organizations weather periods of heightened uncertainty? They decisively direct their teams and make bold decisions to adapt and position themselves for the future. Far from being reckless, high-functioning organizations are bold and decisive because they have effective decision-making systems.

Timely, high-quality decision-making is essential for responding in a dynamic environment. As a leader, you should objectively evaluate whether your organization is equipped to improve decision-making. In this article, we will explain how to assess those factors and improve decision-making processes in three steps:

 

1. Align on the most critical decisions you need to make

In times of uncertainty, leaders must identify the critical few decisions that are most urgent and impactful to their business.

Time and attention are scarce resources; not all decisions have the same impact or need to be made now. It is important to preserve leadership bandwidth for the decisions that are most urgent or have significant consequences for your organization, and then sequence them accordingly.

 

2. Determine decision involvement based on information and execution needs

Get the right people involved in decision-making by first clarifying what you need to know to make the decision. Then involve those who can interpret and sort incomplete and conflicting information and who will be key to driving execution.

Organizations often struggle to determine who to consult before making key decisions, especially during periods of ambiguity or stress. Consulting too many people prolongs the process, makes it harder to be decisive, and can water down the final decision. Consulting too few people risks missing key facts or overlooking creative solutions. In our experience, companies that consistently exhibit bold and decisive decision-making focus on involving the right people in each decision, irrespective of the total number.

The key task, then, is determining who those right people are. They usually add value in one of two ways:

  1. They have the experience, insights, and expertise to help synthesize incomplete or conflicting information, create unique solutions, and weigh options, or
  2. They will be key to executing the decision and aligning key stakeholders.

While you won’t have as much information as you’d like, you can compensate by bringing the right minds together to determine the best course of action. Experience, good judgment, creativity, and problem-solving are invaluable in a nebulous environment. Even if the people with those skills or experiences aren’t usually involved in making a decision, consider involving them now.

Equally important is having the “on-the-ground” perspective on how decisions will be executed. We’ve all seen too many executive decisions that seemed logical but eventually failed because leaders didn’t factor in key details of how they’d be implemented. Especially with urgent decisions, it’s critical to keep the deciders and doers aligned to avoid making decisions that are unrealistic to execute.

 

3. Identify the right governance based on the decisions

Determine the appropriate governance—the parameters for where, when, how, and how often you’ll make each decision—based on stakeholder involvement needs and decision complexity and stick to consistent processes on an ongoing basis.

Decision-making forums are key tools of governance by which leaders control where and how decisions are made. Clarifying the focus, frequency, and method for how you’ll process information, identify knowledge gaps, and make and communicate decisions creates predictability and stability that can anchor leadership teams in times of uncertainty. Regular forums also provide an opportunity to evaluate the impact of key decisions and reassess them in light of new information.

A common misconception is that governance and disciplined decision-making processes create bureaucracy. In truth, they don’t if they are appropriate in focus and number. To keep governance in check:

  • Categorize decisions based on whether involved, in-person discussions are required or whether emails or other mechanisms suffice for sharing recommendations and/or making the decision.
  • Use pre-existing platforms for decision-making where possible.
  • Standardize decision-making mechanisms – if the same decision needs to be made regularly, choose a consistent time, place, and team so that it becomes routine.
  • Check in regularly with those making and affected by the decisions to make sure the governance model is still serving its intended purpose.

 

Parting Thoughts

In the end, being bold and decisive comes down to an organization’s ability to intentionally determine:

  1. Which decisions are most important to be made,
  2. Who should be involved in making them, and
  3. How teams should make those decisions and monitor results.

Leadership teams that get clear on these three things will operate more effectively in a quickly changing world. While you won’t be immune to the challenges of today, you will be better equipped to adapt to whatever the future holds. Taking bold and decisive action to help your team navigate uncertainty will help you strengthen your organization for whatever lies ahead.

 

By Holly Feldman, June 16, 2020