An Early Management Lesson

One of the best lessons I learned as a new business manager in my early twenties was that I did not have to possess all of the answers to make the right decisions about how to meet our workplace objectives. This lesson didn’t come easy. In fact, I had to fall down a few times before I learned the value of having others help me.

When I did accept this lesson, it was liberating. I learned that many of the best answers about how to do things came from other people — my employees, peers, and even thoughtful outsiders.  As I adjusted my thinking, I also came to realize that asking others for their thoughts on how to approach a situation or solve a problem did not weaken me as a manager.  It did the opposite.  It made me a better manager.

How To Make Better Workplace Decisions

So, how might my early management lesson be beneficial to you?

Learning how to identify the right people to give you thoughtful feedback is critical to effective decision making and problem solving. As I learned, the key to getting effective feedback is to make sure it is comprehensive. One of the best ways to do this is to ensure that you obtain diverse perspectives so you can make the right decisions in the workplace.

Effective decision makers understand that there are usually four critical perspectives that they need to consider in their decision making and problem solving. These perspectives cover the operational, emotional, intellectual, and the ethical aspects of a situation.  Finding thoughtful people (who want you to succeed) and to whom you can turn to for advice for these perspectives is your path to making good decisions.

Of the various people that you know and work with (who again want you to succeed), who among this group offers sound advice in these four areas. Identify these people. If you are able to talk to them, reach out to them for their feedback.

If it’s impossible to actually talk to them, there is a creative solution that you can take. Here’s how it works:

• You first begin by not taking immediate action on your problem.
• Second, you identify the people from your life that represent these four areas and then you ask yourself the following: If these people were here now what would they tell you to do about this situation?
• Finally, as you factor the perspectives of these four voices into your thinking, you can begin to shape your decision and do what you feel is best for the situation you are facing.

If you lead or manage a sizable group, you may find certain knowledgeable members on your team who naturally excel at representing one of these voices.  Here’s some examples of what I mean:

• One of your team members may have a skill in representing the intellectual perspective on different situations that you face. If so, he or she will have a natural talent for understanding the viability of a decision and why it will or will not work.
• One of your team members may have a skill in representing the ethical perspective on different situations that you face. If so, he or she will have a natural talent for understanding the ethics of a decision and how others in your organization will evaluate the morality of what you have done.
• One of your team members may have a skill in representing the operational perspective on different situations that you face. If so, he or she will have a natural talent for understanding the logistics of a decision and how to coordinate organizational resources to make it happen.
• One of your team members may have a skill in representing the emotional perspective on different situations that you face. If so, he or she will have a natural talent for understanding the emotions of a decision and how others will feel about what you have done.

Rather than becoming frustrated with your team members and their habit of continually speaking from these perspectives, you can instead encourage them to use these natural talents to help you make good decisions and solve problems in the workplace. Have them help you solve the problem with the voice they already possess!

Conclusion

The key point in using your employees (and even others) to help you is to remember that not all situations are appropriate for discussion with others. You may have a confidential, legal, or other situation that you just cannot discuss with anyone. In situations like these, you have to make the best decisions you can by yourself.

In situations where you can get the feedback of others, however, take some time to call on those four voices in your life and have them help you make decisions and solve problems.  Leveraging the feedback of these four important voices can help you to meet your workplace objectives.