Decision making and having your ideas heard

As mentioned I will jump around topics a little. Logically decision making frameworks would follow a discussion around strategy (we will get to strategy shortly), however the ability to clearly present your ideas with rationale is a particularly important skill to have. It is also something practical that you can start working on now. I do love an opportunity for some creative problem solving. Like many however, I have had times of great frustration where a “good idea” was politely listened to and “we should do something about that” – and then nothing. What I have found is that an idea is generally embraced / supported when the financial, customer and people value for the organisation have been clearly articulated. Sounds logical right? The reality is, very often in a moment of excitement when you have had this great idea, the detailed thinking can be missed. This should not stop you sharing your great idea's when they materialise, however if you want to position it to be more than just an idea, you need to manage your approach. I am not talking about a 200 page business case nor suggesting you labour for weeks in trying to support an idea – our environment is fast paced and needs thinking on our feet. What is needed is a basic foundation that supports the “why”. Whether you are making a quick pitch on the run to your boss or you are tabling a recommendation at a team meeting, have a frame that supports your idea. Not only will this help you clearly articulate the “why”, using your frame will challenge your own thinking and may even prove that there is a better way forward. Use the opportunity to mentally test different scenarios and options. It’s great for the mind and can really stretch your creative thinking. After time you will actually move straight to this questioning approach on everything and it will be just part of how you think. When I am being asked to approve or support something or in peer debate, no matter how great the idea sounds, I will always go to my own “why” questions when thinking it through. - Does it align to our broader business strategy? - What problem is it solving? - Will it be of benefit for our customer and/or our people? - What happens if we don’t do it? - What is the financial impact/benefit? There are many questions to follow such as, are there adequate resources and how do we measure this? If an idea is solving a business problem, delivers on the business strategy, creates financial benefit and is good for our customers and/or people, then the rest will be managed. If the idea does none of these things then why would you do it? At the early stage of an idea you will not have all of the detail and will be working with many assumptions, however if it stands up broadly with considered rationale, 9 times out of 10 you will be given the opportunity to either test it or move forward. In taking this approach you have tested your own thinking; considered the broader business from various aspects and demonstrated a professional and clear thought process. The best outcome of course is that you have creatively solved a business problem or found a growth opportunity. Importantly you will continue to build your own confidence, strength and profile. This business discipline will be something you will value your entire career regardless of the type of role or seniority you reach. When you are in a role where ideas are being presented to you, you will find yourself using this same method when challenging what is being presented to you – asking all the “why” questions to support sound business decisions. What I have not covered in the above is the importance of bringing others along in the development stage, before you get to present an idea. Even with supported, well thought out ideas, if you don’t consider those who may be directly impacted you may end up with a “blocker” and/or a very unhappy colleague. You may also miss a more rounded view without alternative perspectives. I will cover the importance of consultation and influencing; agile problem solving (where many views are better than one) and some fundamental stakeholder management rules in a post soon. None of this however will stop you from developing your own simple decision making template right now – use your next 1 hour meeting with yourself! I am happy to provide some help with this – contact me via the links and we can speak further. Please do let me know what you think once you have tested it. Until next time Lisa