De-personalizing decision making
Aleksandr Yampolskiy
CEO; Cybersecurity expert ; Angel Investor; Entrepreneur & Dreamer.
Here's a post I sent to our team on one important cultural attribute at SecurityScorecard :"How do we depersonalize decision-making?"?
This is precisely why we've transitioned to Amazon-style write-ups instead of PowerPoint slides - these document write-ups foster objective evidence.?
They allow for redlining, commenting, and an in-depth analysis of KPIs.
One common challenge faced by companies is the tendency for decisions to be made based on consensus, driven by a fear of upsetting colleagues. For instance, if Sam suggests building feature XX, but I disagree, I might hesitate to voice my opinion for fear of souring our working relationship next week. This fear of conflict - results in poor decisions being made - and no constructive dialogue. “If we are afraid to disagree with each other in the Board room, will we really be able to compete in the Field?”
The solution? Start each meeting with someone presenting and arguing against their own proposal, then encourage diverse perspectives and counter-proposals from everyone in the room. This cultivates a culture of psychological safety and ensures thorough analysis of alternate ideas.
领英推荐
Here's the playbook:
Let's give it a shot!
Co-Founder @ Futurify | Don't Get Left Behind
6 个月Great post, Aleksandr! Transitioning to Amazon-style write-ups is a fantastic approach to depersonalize decision-making and encourage thorough analysis. This method is especially beneficial for distributed teams across different time zones, as it allows everyone to read and understand proposals ahead of time, saving the need for multiple meetings. Ray Dalio also highlights the value of seeking dissenting opinions in his book "Principles: Life and Work," which aligns perfectly with encouraging diverse perspectives. Thanks for sharing!
Chief Customer Officer | Transforming Customer Experiences with Data-Driven Insights and Cross-Functional Leadership
6 个月I agree with many of the points - especially about selecting the right stakeholders, which reminded me of the RACI method - someone who just needs to be in the know, probably should not be the main decision maker. The "argue against yourself" though is something that makes less sense to me. You should truly believe in your idea if you think it's worth sharing with others. The role of your audience and peers is then to respectfully challenge your idea(s). You will do the same when others present. In my experience - self doubt is rarely a good driver for decision making, especially in large quantities. In other words - don't spend my time on ideas you yourself don't believe in ??
Intellias, Global Head of Digital Technology Services, President of North America | Business executive and connector | I scale revenue, organizations, business lines, and high performing teams
6 个月I love the “Why can I be wrong?” part of this exercise. Very often as leaders we expect to rally people up around the ideas but we don’t usually provide an inclusive forum to poke holes and provide feedback that can strengthen the same ideas.
Chief Technology & Product Officer | Scale-up | Creator Economy | Mission and Results-driven
6 个月Bullets 1 and 4 resonate a lot. 1. "Carefully consider who should participate in each discussion - it's 80% of the game to pick right participants in a meeting" <-- the opposite of this is inclusion, being nice, at the expense of an effective decision 4. 'Can I be wrong' - invite challenges and pressure test blindspots with the goal of a better outcome
Product Leader | Top 50 Women of Impact in Tech 2023 | Harvard Alumni | TEDx Executive Producer
6 个月Great blog post! The insights you provided on workplace culture are incredibly valuable. One point that particularly resonated with me is the impact of fear on a company’s success and growth. Encouraging a more open and collaborative environment where employees feel safe to voice their ideas is crucial for fostering innovation and driving the company forward. Your post is a great reminder of the need for leadership that values and nurtures every team member’s input. A great example of diversity and inclusion at workplace.