Teryl @ Work

Decisions, decisions, decisions Slow decision making is seen as weak leadership.   True or False? People make comments like “Well, at least he makes decisions” as if any decision is better than none. And once a decision is made, woe betide the leader who changes his or her mind. No matter that new facts have come to light, or that certain information was deliberately withheld, leaders who change their minds are incompetent in the eyes of many. So getting the balance right between sourcing all the relevant facts to make a decision, and not waiting so long that you are seen to be a procrastinator, is not easy. And allowing yourself to be forced into decision making because of outside opinion is also not a great choice. Leaders have to accept early in their careers that popularity based on decisions made should  not be a goal. It can be a nice side effect as long as you realise that it will only be a small group that like most of your decisions, ...

Following on from objective decision making, it is as important to find out why you won the sale, as to why you lost it. Most salespeople believe the sales they bring in are due to their charm, product knowledge and strong relationship building, and prefer not to dig deeper.  The truth is that the buyer's decision making process is often less than transparent, and regularly far from objective. Ask!   Once the deal is signed and sealed, go back to the main signatory and ask why you got the business. Company reputation and brand equity? My service delivery? Good presentation Proposal prompt Follow up regular, but not invasive Recommendation from a trusted colleague/business connection Price? Don't like the opposition? You created a strong connection and trust relationship with the decision maker? The only way to repeat the right behaviour is to know what the right behaviour is.  Don't guess.   If you do this regularly enough, a consistent message ...

Do you think you make objective decisions?   Most people are adamant that they do, but I am becoming more and more aware of the influences that move me in particular directions, and am working to be more structured in approaching final decisions. It constantly amazes me how many people honestly believe that any decision is better than none, and that changing your mind is a sign of indecisiveness and weakness.   Frequently, decisions are made based on the current information at hand, and when more becomes available, people believe it is too late to change direction.   Sometimes it is, lets face it, once a rocket has launched, new information can't bring it back, but there are many, many times when a decision is manipulated by interested parties, and the final decision maker believes that he will look weak if he goes back on his word, in spite of knowing that an alternative might very well be a better option. It is true, though, that slow decision making can hamper grow...