Cliche #1 - Good Decisions
Frank's Management Cliche #1
"The way to train yourself to make good decisions is to live with them."
Explanation:
Many managers make an easy decision when the consequences of that decision are not immediate. This is especially true when a manager knows they will allow themselves to remake the decision later.
For instance, a subordinate makes a good argument for hiring an additional two people into their area. The manager says that sounds like a good idea based on their argument. A month later the subordinate walks into the manager's office with the paperwork to extend offers to the two candidates the subordinate has identified after extensive interviewing. The manager, now faced with the immediate consequences of their casual decision a month earlier, balks at allowing the hiring. All of a sudden, the company finances must be considered, the return may not justify the expense of the two people, and the manager is concerned with what his boss will think. What has happened is that the manager is now faced with a decision that they will have to live with and wants to consider all factors. This is a very typical scenario. All the factors that are now present were also present a month earlier when the manager made their first decision. The manager now makes his subordinate start all over in justifying the new hires and introduces several hurdles that weren't mentioned the first time.
Whether or not the decision is ultimately sustained or reversed is not important. What is important is that the subordinate can not count on the decisions the manager makes. If the manager reverses their decision, the subordinate will have wasted all the time in acting on the original decision along with the time wasted in rejustifying the actions. The subordinate will think twice before acting on a decision the manager has made until they know it is the "real decision". Many organizations fill up alot of time making, remaking, justifying, and rejustifying the same decisions. Even if the manager sustains the original decision, the subordinate will be very frustrated with the process of carrying out what she thought was a settled issue.
The environment does sometimes change between the time a decision is made and when the actions from that decision are to be carried out. In this instance it is acceptable, and necessary to consider these changes before proceeding with the original decision. If the changes are sufficient to make the original decision imprudent, the subordinate will understand a manager's reversal (although they may not like it).
The benefits that a manager enjoys by living with their decisions are many:
"The way to train yourself to make good decisions is to live with them."
Explanation:
Many managers make an easy decision when the consequences of that decision are not immediate. This is especially true when a manager knows they will allow themselves to remake the decision later.
For instance, a subordinate makes a good argument for hiring an additional two people into their area. The manager says that sounds like a good idea based on their argument. A month later the subordinate walks into the manager's office with the paperwork to extend offers to the two candidates the subordinate has identified after extensive interviewing. The manager, now faced with the immediate consequences of their casual decision a month earlier, balks at allowing the hiring. All of a sudden, the company finances must be considered, the return may not justify the expense of the two people, and the manager is concerned with what his boss will think. What has happened is that the manager is now faced with a decision that they will have to live with and wants to consider all factors. This is a very typical scenario. All the factors that are now present were also present a month earlier when the manager made their first decision. The manager now makes his subordinate start all over in justifying the new hires and introduces several hurdles that weren't mentioned the first time.
Whether or not the decision is ultimately sustained or reversed is not important. What is important is that the subordinate can not count on the decisions the manager makes. If the manager reverses their decision, the subordinate will have wasted all the time in acting on the original decision along with the time wasted in rejustifying the actions. The subordinate will think twice before acting on a decision the manager has made until they know it is the "real decision". Many organizations fill up alot of time making, remaking, justifying, and rejustifying the same decisions. Even if the manager sustains the original decision, the subordinate will be very frustrated with the process of carrying out what she thought was a settled issue.
The environment does sometimes change between the time a decision is made and when the actions from that decision are to be carried out. In this instance it is acceptable, and necessary to consider these changes before proceeding with the original decision. If the changes are sufficient to make the original decision imprudent, the subordinate will understand a manager's reversal (although they may not like it).
The benefits that a manager enjoys by living with their decisions are many:
- The manager can be confident in their decision if the topic comes up a second or third time. Since the manager knew they would have to live with the decision when it was made, they considered all known factors before committing to a decision. The manager will grow confident over time that they do not have to "rethink" the decision and simply state what they decided the first time.
- Subordinates will learn that in order to change a manager's decision, they will have to come up with a different, or better argument rather than simply re-presenting the same argument at a later date.
- The manager will be viewed as thoughtful, but decisive by everyone in the company. The label of "wishy washy" will not apply.
- The time saved by both the manager and their subordinates can be considerable.
