In my earlier blog, I listed the six ways of expediting decisions. However, when we make decisions quickly, there are a few possible pitfalls to avoid.
Divide: People mostly start with a solution in mind. They then fit it to the problem on hand. When they do this, there are a lot of loose ends in their plan. The easiest way to debunk such a proposition is to unbundle the package. Ask people to provide details of each of the sub-elements separately. See whether the units could be laid out sequentially. If the proposal is genuine, steps could be sequentially implemented. It validates the idea and de-risks the project. Never get sold on the "package deal"
Shuffle: Professionalism and objectivity diminish when we have people in the same role for a long time. Relationship dictates decisions and the status quo becomes the norm. We, therefore, do not follow the same rigor we initially did while evaluating a supplier or fire customers who choke our bandwidth. The remedy to this problem is to frequently shuffle the portfolios of people. Employees are most productive in their first 1.5 to 2 years. Without the baggage of a relationship, they make objective decisions. They can make decisions based on performance parameters.
Re-evaluate: The pace of disruption and change is unprecedented. Every idea and strategy now has an expiry date. Unless we challenge every assumption and constantly evaluate our strategy, we stand no chance to succeed. Moreover, strategy is no longer the accolade of top management. Strategic discussions should be part of every weekly and monthly meeting. This enables the organization to swiftly change its course when unconceding information and trends are identified.
In the next part of this series, I shall highlight how we can execute speedily.
Subodh
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