Whether it is a people decision, process decision or just any old business decision, it is so hard to decide. Decision making is the hardest, most dreaded part of leading and running a business. The impact of the decision makes the act of deciding painful for so many. We know that with every decision our people are impacted, and our customers and clients are impacted. And, the worst is, change comes with a decision. Change is disliked by many.
The problem with all of that is: Your people need you to DECIDE! They need a clear path forward. They need direction. They need answers. Without it, they won’t know what success looks like. Without that guidance they will start to create their own path.
See the thing is, most of the problems we face in business have people involved. Customer satisfactions, process optimization, efficiency, culture issues, etc. People is the common denominator. If you decided to change a process, people will shift around. If you decided to fix a customer satisfaction issue, people will be impacted. If you decided to fix a culture issue, people will be reprimanded.
People make decision making hard.
That’s a good thing and a bad thing. Good because we care about people and we never want to see them negatively impacted. We never want to lose sight of that. But, its bad for the same reason. Personally, I was afraid to make people decisions. I allowed the “Head Trash” to navigate my decision making quite often. I allowed Culture Vultures to pick apart my teams and my client’s teams because I was afraid to write someone up. Fearing the short term impact for me, the person and for the organization.
Then this question came up for me:
“What Does Your Business Need?”
When we ask that question it takes “me and my feelings” out of it. It focuses back on the Vision, the Greater Good and our Strategy of the business. We know what the business needs to be successful. When we focus on the business and the what it needs, we can make decisions quicker and easier. The path to the actual decision is much clearer.
Now, I must ask this question 10 X a day. And the result is always on point. We know what the business needs. While, I know the emotional connection to your people is grand. It does cloud our judgement in many cases. Once you are clear on what the business needs, you can make even better decisions for what the team needs.
You will address Culture Vultures quickly. You’ll optimize that process to ensure the team is working well, without redundancy. You’ll remove more barriers than you ever thought possible.
Get crystal clear on the Vision for your business. Know your winning formula, or strategy to achieve it. Be rooted in core values and purpose. Have an environment of accountability.
With those things in place, you will know what your business needs. Your path for decision making will be much clearer!
If you need help understanding what your business needs, schedule a call with me today. www.heightenedleaders.com
