Making great decisions is a key skill for any leader, but it's not something you can do alone. You need a team that can collaborate, communicate, and contribute to the decision-making process. But how can you build such a team? Here are some tips to help you create a team that makes great decisions.
Before you start making any decisions, you need to clarify the goal of your team. What are you trying to achieve? What are the criteria for success? How will you measure the outcomes? By defining the goal, you can align your team around a common purpose and vision, and avoid confusion and conflict later on.
I would define the goals must being realistic and achievable at the same time, and they should followed by a well-thought-out plan and prioritization in a good manner with logical time frame. In addition to ensure the consistency should inspire the goals to accomplish it.
Right. Clarity of purpose is fundamental to successful team work. 'Motivation' in knowledge workers is driven by automation, mastery and purpose. Successful leaders have to adapt - carrot and stick days are fortunately gone.
Of course, without defining and knowing the goal we can't align or make the team towards a common purpose. However before building the team, we should have a clear mindset and conceptuality. For that defining the goal is foremost important. We have to know what we are doing and for what we are doing. So, define the goal which is an inclusive one.
Focusing the energy of the team towards achieving certain accomplishment for the organisation requires clarity in goal. Goal and its impact to individual, team and intern organisation will help required focus. Goals should act as Lighthouse. Everyone gets clarity why he/she is doing what they are doing.
In today's world, establishing a goal to create a value system must come first from defining the purpose of work. But getting an employee's personal goals aligned with the organization's goals is typically tricky. However, several strategies and efficient communication techniques exist to solve this issue. Every group involved in decision-making should reach a consensus without developing possibly deceptive personal beliefs before making judgments. Prejudices are usually founded on misconceptions that may spread fast among groups, resulting in incorrect decisions. Hence, it is imperative to encourage individuals to voice their opinions without fear of consequences.
You can't make great decisions without input from the right people. You need to involve team members who have relevant expertise, experience, and perspectives on the issue at hand. You also need to consider the stakeholders who will be affected by the decision, and seek their feedback and buy-in. By involving the right people, you can leverage their knowledge, skills, and insights, and increase the quality and acceptance of the decision.
Attitude and competence of the members are necessary for success. Which one of these is more important? I rate attitude a bit higher, perhaps picking a cue from the military. When going gets tough, which at some point always happens, the right mindset is of paramount importance. Competency is hygiene.
Forge a high-performing decision team with trust, open communication, and diverse perspectives. Clearly define roles, set transparent goals, and establish efficient processes. Encourage a growth mindset, promoting ownership and accountability. Celebrate successes, implement feedback mechanisms, and invest in ongoing training. Balance timely decisions with thoughtful analysis, resolve conflicts constructively, and foster adaptability. Ensure decisions align with values, use data for informed choices, and regularly refine processes. This cultivates a foundation for a collaborative, adaptive, and successful decision-making team.
Choosing the appropriate individuals and defining responsibilities for the most essential decisions is crucial. Further, empowering these people to voice their thoughts without fear of repercussions is necessary to having the proper people on a team who are imperative to success. Every triumph, misfortune, every chance grasped or squandered stems from a choice one made or did not make. My favorite method is creating a process of devil's advocacy and encouraging others to find flaws in arguments and issue framing.
'Everyone is good at something but no one is good at everything' Recognising that each member of the team can add their own qualities and expertise to any task or project will ensure that each stage and each decision has been carefully explored which in turn will bring value and quality to the finished product.
Certainly agree about having the right people with skills and expertise. I believe you also need people who can constructively challenge assumptions and to stop the team falling into group think. A great book i read a while ago called The Medici Effect teams to this topic.
One of the biggest pitfalls of team decision-making is groupthink, which is when team members conform to the majority opinion and suppress their own views. Groupthink can lead to poor decisions that overlook important information and alternatives. To avoid groupthink, you need to encourage diversity and dissent in your team. You need to welcome different opinions, perspectives, and backgrounds, and create a safe space for constructive criticism and debate. By encouraging diversity and dissent, you can foster creativity, innovation, and learning in your team.
We used to have an expression, “Don’t play devil’s advocate, the devil has enough advocates.” However that didn’t mean no dissent. Instead of focusing on why something won’t work, focus on what could make it better. If you’ve ever done improv you’re familiar with “yes and” instead of no. Similar concept.
I Agree. Giving the team the 'freedom of expression' and welcome diverse ideas and opinions will definitely lead the team to take great decisions. Team members should feel supported and encouraged and they should know that each Idea and opinions matters.
Diversity and dissent can only be encouraged if the culture in the team allows people to speak openly and honestly. It is important for people to know that their opinions matter and will be heard.
It’s up to leaders to create an atmosphere of trust in order that the quietest people feel able to express their Point of View. I actively encourage our interns to speak up and say what they think. It can be incredibly insightful, it develops that person and I feel better informed too. Groupthink often starts with the “loudest” or most impactful voice and suddenly everyone feels that way. That’s dangerous. Even General Patton actively encouraged his officers to proffer a contrary view in order to stimulate ideas and strategies.
The strength of any team is in its diversity. By encouraging different voices and viewpoints, you’re not just avoiding groupthink; you’re building a team that’s resilient, innovative, and ready for any challenge! Have you ever been in a team where everyone seemed to agree too quickly, without much debate? That’s a classic sign of “Groupthink,” a sneaky trap in decision-making. Welcome constructive criticism and healthy debate. It’s not about who’s right or wrong but exploring various paths to find the best route forward. Every dissenting opinion or unique perspective is a learning opportunity. Embrace these moments to grow together as a team.
There are many methods and tools that can help you make great decisions as a team. Some of the most common ones are brainstorming, SWOT analysis, pros and cons lists, decision matrices, and voting systems. These methods and tools can help you generate, evaluate, and prioritize options, and reach a consensus or compromise. You need to choose the methods and tools that suit your team's size, style, and situation, and use them consistently and transparently. By using effective methods and tools, you can streamline the decision-making process and improve the accuracy and efficiency of the decision.
Sr. Engineering Manager @ SauceLabs | Trainer @ theLeaders.school | How can I help?
This all is right, and yes different teams will prefer different tollset to solve the same problem. And it is ok. Just please remember, before diving into any tool or method, to ensure team members feel safe enough to #communicate openly. ?? #opencommunication #teamspirit
Gerente de TI na F1RST Tecnologia | Pós-graduada em Gest?o de TI
Devemos sempre olhar as situa??es por vários pontos de vistas, a fim de tomar decis?es coerentes. Decis?es precipitadas costumam dar resultados negativos, como afetar a produtividade da equipe, por exemplo. Existem vários métodos e ferramentas que podem nos ajudar, as que mais utilizo s?o: brainstorming, Happiness door e feedbacks.
There is a beautiful collection of inclusive and highly effective micro methods called "Liberating Structures". They are available for free on the internet. And if I could make just one single recommendation: Do not use "brainstorming" at all. It cannot yield per se the outcomes needed for informed decision making. Instead, it promotes the loud ones, hinders dissent, furthers a bias to voice even meaningless stuff, just for the sake of producing the impression of contribution. No one likes to be perceived as standing on the sidelines - so here comes BS bingo.
As an organisation, There should be clear expectations from individuals, teams about the outcome of the work. Ideally, teams should use the right tools for achieving the target. Organisations should provide choice to the teams to choose the these tools. While providing these choices, there should be guidelines and training’s to the team. Normally, if the teams decide the tools then most likely they will spend time in reinventing the wheel. Tools and process should reduce the time to delivery.
As a leader it is important to make your team feel important part of the project, and one of the most effective way I have observed is empowering them to take their own decisions, support them and stand by it if things go out of the way sometimes(there is always room for improvement). That's also a great way to learn the lesson which will help them in future in taking right decisions during difficult times. Yes, tools and techniques are also important to reach the decision and it can be learnt or as a leader we can ensure that everyone is aware of them. However, human ability, experience and responsiveness at times is the most effective way to reach conclusive decisions.
Once you have made the decision, you need to communicate and implement it effectively. You need to explain the rationale, benefits, and implications of the decision to your team and other stakeholders, and address any questions or concerns they may have. You also need to assign roles and responsibilities, set timelines and milestones, and monitor and evaluate the progress and results of the decision. By communicating and implementing the decision, you can ensure that everyone is on the same page and committed to the action plan.
Making great decisions as a team is not easy, but it is possible with the right approach and attitude. By following these tips, you can build a team that makes great decisions that support your goals and enhance your performance.
It is better to be clear than to be clever. I've seen the transformative power of clarity in communication. When decisions are made, we take extra care to ensure that every stakeholder understands the rationale, benefits, and implications in the simplest terms possible. This involves avoiding jargon, breaking down complex ideas into digestible pieces, and ensuring the message is accessible to all. Assign roles and responsibilities with clear descriptions, set realistic and clear timelines, and establish milestones that are straightforward. Moreover, be proactive in addressing questions and concerns, fostering an environment where feedback is valued and considered. This level of clarity reinforces trust and alignment within the team.
Sr. Engineering Manager @ SauceLabs | Trainer @ theLeaders.school | How can I help?
Many companies struggle to communicate decisions well. Omitting facts supporting decision making process makes good decisions looking irresponsible or at least semioptimal. Preston communicating decision should keep in mind not every employee has the same set of information available. Point number two - way forward. To ensure everyone is aware of his duties after the decision is taken tools like #RACI matrix can help. At the minimum assigning #responsibility for given tasks or initiatives to #individuals is crucial. #communication #decision-making #process #team
Building a team that makes great decisions involves fostering open communication, diverse perspectives, and a collaborative environment. Clearly define roles, encourage active listening, and establish a decision-making process. Emphasize learning from mistakes and continuously improving processes to enhance the team's decision-making abilities.
Transparency and cascading information are crucial. It's beneficial to keep the team informed about progress, involving them in every phase of development. Cascading doesn't always have to come from the top; it can rotate among team members, allowing them to share updates or progress. This fosters joint ownership and acknowledges their contributions.
Once the decision is made, transparently sharing the rationale, benefits, and implications ensures everyone understands the bigger picture. Addressing questions and concerns fosters clarity and commitment. Implementing the decision involves more than just words—it's about assigning roles, setting timelines, and vigilant monitoring. This ensures not only understanding but active participation in the action plan. With effective communication and implementation, your team can turn decisions into actions that drive success!
The fundamental hinderance behind lack of decision making is absence of risk appetite. As human beings we will have to worry about possibility of decision going wrong. As leadership team it’s utmost important to build risk appetite to ensure decision is taken and subsequently risks are addressed
Reward and appreciate the team for rights and wrongs too. It must not happen that we reward only right things sometimes a wrong act may help us to avoid future issues and we need to back it. The team must be enable to take risk with strong backing and support from leader and team members
I believe in providing psychological safety for the team to bring front their ideas so the decision-making is not from the above. This has had wonderful outcomes in our team's decision to approach problems in novel ways and surprise everyone.
- Trust, motivation and mentorship builds confidence in team to deliver outcome of difficult tasks - Moro of creating new leaders always results in delivering results
Who are the external stakeholders whose sponsorship is required. Any vision and team cannot function in isolation. Taking other teams along is important.