Strategic Decision-Making Part 1

Making a decision is selecting between two or more available options.  Decisions made in the organization can potentially impact all levels - strategic, tactical and operational.  Decisions are made on a continuous basis in the organization, and a review of decisions is not always part of the process.  Training on decision-making is often made available only to a restricted audience.  The ability to make and implement effective decisions is a business-critical skill as it can have a significant impact - either positive or negative - on the organization.

There are several fundamental assumptions associated with making decisions:   

• Making decisions is a life skill.
• Effective decision-making can be viewed as a process.
• This process can be learned and applied.  

The decision-making process takes into account:  

• Context
• Information
• People involved
• Techniques
• Solution choices and consequences

Until next time...

 




Sheryl Tuchman, SPHR, SHRM-SCP
http://tools2succeed.com/

Strengths and Qualities of Resilient Teams

Resilient teams create effective visions of where they want to be.  They have the ability to achieve their goals even in the face of adversity.  They set clear goals associated with specific actions.  Let's look at some of the characteristics of these teams.

Characteristics of Resilient Teams
   
Assess Their Own Work
Resilient teams encourage members to assess their own work using constructive feedback rather than by applying standard auditing techniques. Constructive feedback enables employees to honestly consider the quality of their work, think about what has been learned, and understand how they performed in relation to their own expectations.  As this insight develops, employees can begin to evaluate their own work.  Supervisors can guide and encourage discussion.  Questions to ask might include, "What was easy or challenging? "What might be done differently next time?  What can be learned from this situation that can be applied across the organization?"  It is this sense of ownership that is the cornerstone of resilience and that resilient employees must practice.

Develop Their Own Standards
Resilient teams encourage members to develop their own standards.  This ownership helps to avoid statements such as, "I didn't know that was the quality you wanted."  It also means that teams won't be frustrated with mixed messages from management, and their efforts will be evaluated in a fully transparent way.

Stimulate A Culture Of Humor
Humor is a daily part of life in a working environment.  In times of great change, there might be a tendency to stop opportunities for humor with the view that it distracts from the seriousness of the change at hand.  However, being able to laugh within a team about mistakes, errors, and even change cuts tension and can lessen concern.  It may not lessen the fear that some employees may have, but restricting humor takes away a natural release mechanism or coping strategy for some.

Set Their Own Rules
Having open discussions on rules invites employees to determine consequences and reflect on concepts like the reasons for rules and the instances when they should apply.  Creating their own rules enables employees to develop responsibility and ownership for their own behavior, for one another, and for the team.

Opportunity To Make Choices
Facilitating choices encourages creativity within a team.  It also reinforces ownership and the consequences of decisions.

Opportunities For Self Discovery
Being resilient requires an ability to look inside ourselves and acknowledge our feelings and thoughts.  It also involves the capability to distance ourselves from these emotions and respond to the situation rather than the emotion.

Until next time...






Sheryl Tuchman, SPHR, SHRM-SCP
http://tools2succeed.com/

Take Responsibility!

Responsibility has to do with the choices we make about the realities of our lives. People who exercise personal responsibility see how their choices, more than external realities, determine their fate.  It is the difference between being a victor rather than victim in life.

The Responsibility Ladder shows how the meaning of responsibility and the way we make choices changes as we evolve from one paradigm to another.

The Responsibility Ladder  
Integrity:
I am the author of the outcomes of my life through my choices.  
Achievement:
I exercise choices by setting goals and trying to improve.  
Duty:
I exercise choices by fulfilling my obligations  
Fear:
I am reactive and a victim of events, circumstances, and other people.

Common Ways We Avoid Responsibility  
Waiting:
Many people live their lives waiting for something to happen or change to experience happiness or success.  
Excuses and Self-Justification:
We learn to make excuses to avoid punishment.  
Blame:
This has been institutionalized into our justice system which teaches people to feel and act like victims.  
Being Dependent:
We are passive about asserting ourselves or taking care of our own needs.  
Reactive Language:
"You make me mad."  "I can't help it."  "I have to..."

Understanding our Choices
There are three primary reasons we make the choices we do:
Ignorance and programming. 
We are unaware of our choice-making or that other options are available to us.
Payoffs.
We are rewarded for the choices we make in the short term, even when the long-term consequences of those choices are painful.
Prices.
There is a price tag associated with new choices. We haven't yet decided to pay the price of making new choices.

Until next time...






Sheryl Tuchman, SPHR, SHRM-SCP
http://tools2succeed.com/

The Measure of Our Character

Organizations today need people who come to work ready to get the job done--people whose personal lives are stable so that they can direct their attention and energy to their work, their customers, and their co-workers.

The quality of your personal life has a direct impact on the quality and success of your professional life.  Everyone in your organization needs to see you as an emotionally stable, reliable, and strong person.  They want to know that they can trust you with their products, services, and customers, and that they can count on you to do your job well.

People who seem to be the happiest and most satisfied in life have made a conscious effort to be in a healthy/functional environment in both their personal and professional lives.  They assume responsibility for making good choices about the people with whom they spend their time.
  
The measure of our character is not how we handle ourselves when life is easy, but it is how we rise above the unfairness of life and make healthy, ethical choices that benefit others and ourselves at any given moment.
   
You have the power to make your personal life one of which you can be proud.  Your well-ordered personal life will be reflected in your work and will ensure your future employability.

Until next time...







Sheryl Tuchman, SPHR, SHRM-SCP
http://tools2succeed.com/