Greg's Right FIT #383

Quick notes to help you grow your business in less time with less effort. . . sometime next week. 

In this issue: 

- Thoughts on Decision Making
- Being Human
- Random Stuff

Thoughts on Decision Making

• Definitions are important in communication. "We have a problem" could mean something needs to be fixed, or a decision has to be made, or a plan needs to be put in action. Find out by asking, "Talk to me about that." 
• We should strive to be data informed vs data driven when analyzing and forecasting sales. Buying and selling decisions are far more complex than the tools we have to measure them, even with the rise of the robots. 
• Options are a shortcut for making quick decisions. When confronted with the unexpected, force yourself into options, even if they aren't optimal. Start by saying "as I see it, we have 3 options. . ."
• While we are helping clients make decisions, considering the unknown makes for a better decision. In other words, to be "sure," admit where we are "unsure."

Being Human - Speeding up decision-making

Excerpted from "The Human Being's Guide to Business Growth." 

Speeding Up Decision-Making

This is a good place to talk about increasing the speed of decision-making in your organization. The speed of your people’s decisions is not dependent on a quirk in their personalities. Ted doesn’t make decisions faster than Mary because she’s more cautious, and he’s more carefree. Their daily decisions rely on the interaction of two forces: autonomy and alignment.

Autonomy comes from the leadership team. We’re defining it as self-reliance, self-rule, or independence. It’s earned over time. The more your people are given the autonomy to make decisions without direction from above, the faster decisions will be made.
Alignment also comes from the leadership team. We’re defining it as positioned or arranged in line with the strategic vision of the company. It’s a communication issue. The more your people are aligned with the strategic vision of the company, the better their decisions will be. 

When we bring up the Ted and Mary examples, the first thing most people think of is a Ted with high autonomy and low alignment. The prima donna who asks for forgiveness and not permission. We find him in sales, out shaking trees and making things happen. When we think of Mary, we put her in high alignment and low autonomy. The bureaucrat that knows what the strategic vision is, understands exactly what the playing field is, and hides in the middle of it, not wanting to make the wrong call.

The way to speed up decision-making is to move both Ted and Mary into the upper right quadrant. Mary will make more decisions, faster, when she feels that she has the autonomy to make those calls. She benefits the most from understanding her strengths and applying them to the tasks at hand. Ted will make better decisions with the same speed when he knows the playing field boundaries. He benefits the most from understanding the clear vision of where he needs to be and when he has stepped over the line.

They are rudimentary examples, but they illustrate the importance of a strong strategic vision for better decision-making. The fewer people who decide the vision, the stronger it is, and the clearer it is communicated, especially in mid-sized companies.

Random Stuff

"I'm allergic to tacos!" – the youngest child, protesting dinner

Spring is springing here in the middle of flyover country. This means two things. One is the colorful evidence of life bursting above ground in the form of flowers, tree buds, and layers of pollen dust. The other is my seasonal allergies. 

This year I started early with the allergy meds. Between the oral meds and nasal meds I can not only make it through the day, I get to act like I'm in a commercial and frolic through the flowers. No more hiding inside for me! The only issue I have with this medicated state is if I sit still for any period of time I'm out. I feel my eyelids getting heavy, a warm feeling crawls up the back of my skull, and snerkt. I'm gone. 

This usually isn't a problem if I'm working at the home office. Who doesn't benefit from a short nap here and there? It can cause problems on calls, however, especially those where I'm a passive participant. I listen, take notes, maintain eye contact with the green camera light, feel the weight of my eyelids, notice it's getting warm, and well, after that I hope no one notices the hypnic jerk. 

That should be my band name. The Hypnic Jerks. Or maybe just Hypnic. Dj Hypnic. Opening for the Chemical Brothers at Coachella. 

Sweet dreams.