Rose is one of our subscribers in Malaysia. Last March, she was faced with the dilemma whether or not to take a new job as a manager. In the end, Rose took the job. After giving proper notice, she started in June.

“Remember me? Today is my second day on the job as a new manager. Wow!! Exhilarating and tough. Scares the hell out of me. But anyway, management, especially when it involves strategy at the corporate level is really something new to me! Even with an MBA, it’s not easy!

“I have to think about expanding the business and yet I can’t just do it without considering the brand’s image in the market. I can’t afford to portray the new brand into the lower segment.

“Should I think about franchising or should I get a distributor to take the new product lines into other markets.

“Still, I have to take into account the under capacity of the production department, which is also under my care. How to motivate the production line when they are so new to me? I think I’m going to have high blood pressure soon.”

So Rose took the bold step and jumped into the thick of things. It is one thing to anticipate the challenge. It is another to feel the reality of being overwhelmed. And here you come face to face understanding this is not about management techniques, this is about courage.

It is now some months since these first days in June. I heard from Rose again last week. Her update on Wednesday. -TF

Rose was asking for advice, clearly torn between the comfort of an existing job and the scary prospect of a new job in management. This new position would be a stretch. Perhaps her new employer saw something in Rose that even she did not see in herself. But still, it was Rose who had to make the decision. My response:

“Dilemmas are the wonderful part of life. The position you describe sounds like a big job without a lot of internal resources. That is not an altogether bad thing, because you can make decisions quickly and turn direction instantly. Not only can you make a mistake, but you can also approve it.

“It does make the problem more difficult to enter a market area where you have little technical expertise. Since you don’t have an internal sales staff, you will need to find out who can help you understand this new market and how others have gone about it. Competitors are a wonderful source of information. You can read about them, and sometimes even talk to them.

“Bottom line, you will have to go into high learning mode to find out what actions need to be followed to be successful.

“I would also have more conversation with the owner, to determine how he will measure your success. What revenues have to be achieved? What markets have to be penetrated? How many and what kinds of new products might be successful?

“I would also like to find out what the owner was impressed by? What did he find interesting about you as a candidate? He must know that you have little experience in this industry, so why did he not see that as necessary to success in the new position? It must have been something else.

“I know I have asked more questions than given advice or direction, but this is a decision you will have to make yourself. Perhaps these questions have helped to clarify things so you can make the best decision for you.” -TF
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“Alright, let’s take a vote,” Ralph directed. I was sitting in the back of the room. I watched the hands go up in favor of Ralph’s plan. There was no dissent. Meeting adjourned.

Ralph was proud, no opposition, he picked up his stuff and strutted out of the room. And that’s when the truth came out. It started as a whisper, a snide remark, and then the piling on began. As it turned out, no one was in favor of Ralph’s plan.

“What do you mean?” Ralph said as I settled into his office.

“I don’t think your plan has a chance for success,” I replied. “As you left the room, I got to thinking, wondering if your plan had covered all the bases, in fact, if it was even the right decision.”

“But, everyone voted,” Ralph protested.

I nodded. “Do you think voting is the best way to make a decision?”

“Hey, it’s how we elect a president?”

I smiled and repeated, “Do you think voting is the best way to make a decision?”

“Well, do you have a better way?” Ralph challenged.

“I was just looking at your four alternatives. You know, there were two things that were absolute deal killers and the one you picked doesn’t meet the criteria.”

“What do you mean?”

“Think about it this way, Ralph. Put up a big chart on the wall and make a quick list of all the things that absolutely, positively have to be a part of the solution. Deal killers. Then make a list of all the things that are not absolute, but would be really nice to have. Now you have two lists, absolutes and desirables.

“Take your four alternatives and put them up against the criteria and see how things shake out.”

Ralph didn’t say a word. His eyes got wide. I could see him mentally checking his quick list. “I think I need to bring the team back in the room. I think they voted for a mistake.”

I was ready to explain the process in more detail, but Ralph was already headed for the conference room. -TF

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“Okay, so if I am to be accountable for the decision, I should make the decision. I get that.” Victor was still struggling to make sure he was sincerely including his team on major decisions. “But I can’t just pay lip service to team participation. That is why I had them vote in the first place.”

“Is voting the best way to make a decision?” I asked. Victor looked puzzled. I continued. “Look, you want people to truly participate in the process even though you will make the final decision. Here is what I want you to try.

“Take a flipchart and draw a vertical line down the middle. Label the left column Absolutes and label the right column Desirables. Now, ask your team to help you fill out the chart.

“For Absolutes, ask what absolutely has to happen as a result of this decision? What are the non-negotiable criteria that we have to consider when making this decision?

“For Desirables, ask what would we like to happen as a result of this decision? What are the outcomes that would be nice, that we should consider when making this decision? And which of these desirable outcomes are the most important? Have your team prioritize these.

“Victor, if you go through an analysis like this, your decision will make a lot more sense than voting. It will be based on a logical process, in which your team actively participates. This is not lip service. This is real.” -TF

From the “Ask Tom” mailbag.

Question – CC writes, “What are the analytic skills needed for decision making that will help a manager in problem solving?”

Response – The most frequent fatal mistake made by a manager is jumping to a solution without considering alternatives. There are several tools that can help you make better decisions. My favorite tool is a simple set of three questions.

1. What is the problem?
2. What are the possible solutions to the problem?
3. Which is the best solution?

This is a simple process that can be used alone by the manager or in a brain-storm session with the help of a team. This process can be used quickly for problems that require an immediate solution or can be used over an extended period of time for complicated issues. It is also simple to teach to supervisors so they can use it with their teams.

The power of this process is that it prevents the frequent fatal mistake, jumping to a solution without considering other alternatives. The discipline of using this simple three step process will have a positive impact on the quality of decisions made by a manager.

What would happen in your organization, if every time a decision had to be made, people stopped long enough to ask these three questions? -TF

If you have a question about management, just use the link to the right. Thanks to CC for this question.

Question:
What is your opinion on the idea of forcing decision making downward. Do you think downward decision making is desirable?

Response:
It depends. There are a number of factors that will determine this direction. Ultimately, I will hold the manager responsible for the results of any decision that was made. This alone may guide you.

First factor is risk management. How much risk is associated with the result of the decision? If the decision is made poorly, how much damage can be done?

The second factor has to do with purpose. What is the purpose of driving the decision down a level? Is it a learning purpose? Is its purpose to obtain buy-in to the decision? Get clear on the purpose and that will help you determine the direction to move. -TF