Nothing Compares to Certainty (revisited)

By Harry Cruickshank

Critical thinking is a core skill, essential in the complex, ever-changing world of business. It’s an attitude that questions everything, seeks knowledge, and pursues the most effective and pragmatic action. But too often, we encounter poor decision-making that reveals a deficit in critical thinking.

Dangerous waters lie ahead for those who are willing to accept unsubstantiated claims or statements about future outcomes or value that lack the hard data and analytical rigour to back them up. This happens too often for it to be mere coincidence, so what’s going on here?

Here’s my list of “suspects”:

• Leaders want problems fixed and they want growth – and they want it as soon as possible, particularly if financial results are moving in the wrong direction.
• The problem may not be well-defined. There’s a risk that the focus is on treating the symptom(s) and not the root cause.
• ?The individual or team tasked with resolving the problem may lack the skills and tools required. A sound approach requires structured questioning, an effective analytical approach and the ability to “present insight with impact”. This can be difficult if the outcome of the analysis highlights things that leader(s) don’t want to hear, or accept.
• ?People in the business, including leaders, may be too familiar with (and in some cases wedded to) existing programmes and services that are not providing the necessary data, insight and input to decision-making that the executives need.

If one or more of these conditions are present, it’s likely that the outcome will be sub-optimal and any resulting recommendations compromised. Individually, they’re bad enough, but in combination, they can damage businesses and destroy value.

Technology is not necessarily the answer. Advances in technology promise much and, with careful deployment, can add great value by supporting effective processes and thinking, to automate and accelerate the delivery of data and insight. But if those processes or the thinking are flawed, then the technology simply pushes you faster in the wrong direction.

When working with clients, we often encounter these situations. We’ve developed a way of working designed to minimise these risks. Here are three examples of that approach:

1.?When we gather information from customers or employees, we do so in a way designed to avoid any unconscious or conscious bias. That means asking the right questions, in the right way, rather than simply asking the questions the client wants answered.?

2.?By understanding the expectations of a company’s customers or employees, and then measuring how well the company is performing, this pinpoints exactly where problems lie.

3.?Presenting feedback in an interactive, facilitated workshop format aligns leaders and their teams around action plans to deliver results. It also fosters a collaborative approach focused on the best outcomes and avoids the blame game.?

Offered data-backed insights, free from guesswork and untested assumptions, leaders gain greater confidence in their decisions and actions.

No business should tolerate anything less.

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