Yogi Berra said, “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.”
Great leaders are decision makers. The down side of this is an ability to “know” what others should do; to make decisions for rather than with others.
5 reasons it’s easy to know what’s “best” for others.
- We replace their life-purpose with our purpose for them.
- We use our personal values to evaluate their behaviors.
- We don’t bear responsibility for the consequences of life-decisions they make.
- We haven’t thought deeply about available alternatives.
- We don’t fully understand the complexity of the problem.
It may be easier to say, “You should,” and give others a decision than to engage them in a process that eventually enables them to function without us.
Give others decision-making tools rather than decisions.
9 Ways you can help others make great decisions.
- Connect them with people that have experience and expertise.
- Help them identify the real problem/challenge. Ask what the problem is and then say it back to them.
- Explore risk tolerance. Ask what they are willing to lose. (Realize people tend to be overly optimistic.)
- Inspire them to lean toward doing something. Bolster their confidence.
- Help them explore, examine and then express their values. Ask what makes you tick.
- Encourage them to examine expected outcomes. Ask what if …
- Clarify and then connect their life-purpose with anticipated outcomes. Ask how this decision takes them where they want to go.
- Explore pros and cons for each available option. Ask what could go wrong and what could go right.
- Allow the significance of each decision to determine the time allotted to make it and then set decision-deadlines. Ask when they can pull the trigger.
- ???
Why does it seem easy to know what others should do?
What other decision-making tools can you suggest?