Drawing a Line on Decisions
We’re guessing your calendar is jam packed. Meetings, even in good times, can feel like a nuisance. Meetings, during disrupted times, can feel like a terrible burden. Every meeting comes with more decisions, and adds to the decision-fatigue many leaders are feeling. To sort choices and make decisions, we encourage you to draw a line (like the one below) and use four simple steps to make decision making meetings more productive.
Step 1: Take a deep breath and use five minutes to prepare.
Step 2: Write down the decision you need to make.
Example: “We need to decide what we’ll offer in September.” If you are able, also name the choices that are available. “Based on our last brainstorming meeting, options X or Y are both viable options.” If you can’t name the choices, narrowing to one or two choices is a good goal for a meeting.
Step 3: Determine roles in the decision and the process.
Who is giving input? If you are the decision maker your job is to consider suggestions from people who care about the topic. Make it clear to those giving input that you may not be able to fulfill every suggestion.
Who is advising? If you are the decision maker, you have an obligation to be influenced by advisers. That doesn’t mean you have to accept every idea, it means that if someone reviewed your decision they should be able to spot connections between what you learned from advisors.
Who is making the decision? If you are the decision maker, you take responsibility for the choices you make and the way they are implemented.
Step 4: At the start of the meeting share with everyone
a) The decision we need to make is… [share in writing]
b) The role each person will play in the decision process… [draw the line]
You might be thinking, why bother? I’M IN A HURRY! This is a tool to help you in a hurry. Why?
Telling people it’s time for a decision can help you shift from idea generating to decision making. Decisions are often stalled when we just keep heaping options on the table.
Naming who has the authority to make the decision helps people craft their comments in a way that is helpful, rather than launching a tug-of-war between two people who may not have the power to choose.
Framing and naming everyone’s role in the process is a go-slow-to-go-fast-later principle. If you have confusion in decision making, you’ll likely face confusion in implementation.
One final note.
We like drawing a decision line because it removes complexity, enabling us to work better together.
We love drawing decision lines for another reason. At See What I Mean, we believe in participatory decision making. We have worked with many leaders who make steady progress because they systematically ask for input, lean on advisors, and give up power. Draw the decision line to consider:
Who should I be asking for input and advising in this decision?
Am I asking someone for input when the decision will have a big impact on their day to day life? Should they be an adviser or even decision-maker?
Who am I leaving out of decision making processes?
Am I gaining input from people with lived experience? Am I being advised by diverse leaders?
Do I need to make this decision? Can I give up my power?
This fall we plan to offer a workshop on facilitation. We’ll provide more tools like this and give you time to practice. If you’d like to be notified when we launch the workshop add your name to this list.
Author: Stacy Van Gorp