Decision Making and You
How the way you go about decision making as a leader either cripples or enables your organisation
One of the most important roles a leader has is in being part of an effective decision making process. You’ll notice here that I’m not saying “making decisions” which is important but only a tiny part of where you can bring value as a leader. “Who should be making this decision?” and “How should we be making this decision?” are two of the most powerful questions you can ask as a leader.
Decisions are a particular type of feedback given to someone. When someone is looking for a decision they are looking for feedback on how to proceed. In the simplest case this is to continue on the path they are on having made some people aware of what they’re doing and ensuring that what they are doing is aligned with their work. In a more complex case it might involve changing what someone is doing, resolving a misalignment or choosing between options.
It’s worth thinking about what makes a good decision. One of the most common cognitive biases is called self-serving bias (or outcome bias). We tend to think that a good decision is one which turns out well. This allows us to take the credit when things go well but also blame bad luck when things go badly. It’s one of the barriers to learning as we forget the part leading up to the decision, which is the important bit. If…
