You might think that only the “senior” people in your organization feel like they have a “stake” in its current operations and future. You would be wrong. I have heard all of the excuses. “They don’t know enough about the substance of the issues to provide input.” “They don’t really care.” “We already know what they think.” Wrong, Wrong, and Wrong. There are … [Read more...] about The Importance of All Stakeholders
Decision Making
Do you have time to “think?”
Thinking seems to have become a luxury. Time management experts recommend scheduling “meetings with yourself,” so you will have time to think. But many of us try to cram in 40 hours worth of work into a 45-minute window. How can we dedicate time to thinking deeply, which allows us to more creatively solve problems? I’ve been learning more about neuroscience lately, and … [Read more...] about Do you have time to “think?”
Collaboration vs Consensus
In many workplace cultures, the process of pursuing consensus for nearly all decisions is creating inefficiency and frustration. With the best of intentions of including others and gathering wisdom from throughout the organization, “consensus” has become the default decision-making process in many places. Certainly, consensus has its place in organizational … [Read more...] about Collaboration vs Consensus
Strategy Overload
We know we can’t do everything – but that does not seem to stop us from trying. At the organization level – this can create Strategy Overload. That is, too many goals, initiatives, and projects to the point that none of them are truly “strategic.” Everyone in the organization should know the top three Strategic Goals that should be completed in the next three years. The … [Read more...] about Strategy Overload
No Risk Strategy
When I share examples of strategies from other organizations with people, I often hear “that sounds risky.” I respond “Absolutely!” There is no such thing as a “no risk strategy.” Certainly some strategies are riskier than others, and we need to be responsible about the amount of risk we take. However, I think that most organizations err on the side of playing it too … [Read more...] about No Risk Strategy