Sovereign Decision Making

 You are one of the main deciders in your Company and you often face new challenges like

•         taking decisions rather unprepared and often with poor information
•         dealing with negative consequences as a result of “incorrect” decisions        
•     receiving the loser-role after taking incorrect decisions, because of the companies culture
•         balancing the uncertainties due to diverse adviser-arguments from your job environment
•         being forced to make decisions under the pressure of time
•         take critical decisions against your own decider-personality

      Therefore, you are eager to learn how to take sovereign decisions at any time, no matter what pressure you are facing.

      Lets start with my first advice.

     Your goal is to be and feel well prepared for every decision:

1. Have a Mission Statement!  …. know the Mission Statement of the company and act after it.  Always.  It´s everyones direction.  You will align your internal decisions to it.  It´s your daily route!  Walk it.  Examples:  Robert Bosch states “Invented for Life”.  GE states “Imagination At Work”
2. Know as much as possible of what is going on in the department or in your company.  Change and the necessary flexibility challenges every company.  Have a weekly short meeting (15 min.) to give everyone the chance to report to you or call the relevant people once a week at a certain time.  Every week.  And only have this one request.  Don´t overreact but this minute might count!  Example:  implement right away a short but weekly “request meeting” (or call with s.o.) in your calendar or delegate this to your assistant.
3. Use a system to easily track your relevant information for bigger decisions.  Know where you store it!  Connect the info to possible options in your mind, which you might have to face soon.  Create an awareness of typical decision situations.  Example:  create a system which bundles info/Emails via running projects or connected locations.  Everything which and everyone who is connected to each other shall be filed in a bundled way.  Create overview!  Have the bigger picture available!  Be quick.
4. Know “how much” you can and shall risk to meet your goals!  If you´re not the CEO, stay in touch with the personality and speak about everthing which might wait as the next challenge for you around the corner.  Eliminate surprises as much as possible.  Be aware that there´s always an uncertain part left.  Deal with it, no matter how “big” it is. Example:  have a risk portfolio available or create one with the CEO and other key accounts.
5. Know your sparring partners and their goals!  Collaborate as much as possible to survive.  Meet up.
6. Be sure that you can´t control the uncertainties and the future.  There are trends and chances:  you will face mechanisms which click you upwards or downwards, but all movements are mixed with some risk.  Face them!  Take or leave them quickly!  Have a risk limit and keep it for a while.  Extend it once you´re more experienced.  Some chances never re-appear.  Example:  note your main risks (worst case szenario) to every big project you start and adjust them once the projects start running.  You might delegate this task to someone who carries the important responsibility and review the status permanently.  Avoid a status quo (thinking) –

       In my next Blog-post you learn….

–          You know how to construct decision-scenarios which include relevant negative consequences (!)

BE A DECISION MAKER.  BECOME OUTSTANDING.

rita jaskolla – Leadership Architect –