Did you know that half of all managerial decisions fail? How much
time, money, reputation, and morale is your business losing
because of failed managerial decisions? Do you want to improve
those odds and reap higher profits? Here are five things you can
do right now to make better decisions--and the resultant more
money--for your company:
* Go in without preconceived notions. Don't make decisions in
your head before you've carefully weighed the options. Going
into a decision without preconceived notions can also encourage
practices of nurture and rest that provide perspective and
promote good decisions. Bob Carlson, board member and retired
co-CEO of Reell Precision Manufacturing (St. Paul, Minnesota),
takes walks in the woods and listens to music to help him get
perspective, weigh decisions, and let go of preconceived notions.
During an economic downturn in early 2001, Bob and his leadership
team let go of the preconceived notion that layoffs were
necessary. The result? They got through the business slowdown
by asking employees to take graduated pay cuts, and they didn't
have to lay anyone off. "When we called everyone together and
explained the graduated pay cuts we were offering," relates Bob,
"there were tears in people's eyes. They thanked us from the
bottom of their hears." Morale remained high despite the tough
times and everyone was restored to full pay several months later.
* Don't take the easy way out: Commit to discovering underlying
issues. Such a commitment helps a leader avoid the trap of
settling for easy answers that turn out to be unworkable. When
Julius Walls, CEO of Greyston Bakery in Yonkers, New York, faced
the challenge of Ben and Jerry's (his primary customer) raising
the standards for his product, he asked how he could train his
"unemployable" workers (workers hired straight out of prison
or drug treatment programs, for example) to meet the higher
standards. Through listening to his workers and understanding
their issues, he discovered how to walk with them through their
development into productive employees.
* Start with thorough information-gathering. Leaders who
consistently ask what information is needed, whether it has all
been gathered, and whether there are further relevant questions
to pursue, make better decisions. Joe Clubb, director of social
work at HealthEast healthcare system in Minnesota, tracked down
all the relevant information when he headed up the strategic
planning effort for St. Joseph's Hospital (one of HealthEast's
member hospitals). From talking with the nuns whose foremothers
had founded the hospital in 1853, to talking with clinicians who
told him of the need for state-of-the-art equipment, to talking
with accountants who told him of the financial pressures the
hospital faced, Joe left no stone unturned in gathering
information.
* Maintain a reflective (or prayerful or meditative) approach to
decision-making. Reflection and prayer can provide a way to step
back and see the whole picture, letting go of ego needs and
asking what is best for the organization. When Genny Nelson,
founder of Sisters of the Road Cafe (a cafe for the homeless in
Portland, Oregon), found herself with less than $100 in the
cafe's bank account, she went to the nearby downtown chapel and
prayed, "God, I'm laying it at your feet. I'm a really stubborn
woman. If you don't want me to do Sisters anymore, I'll get
that, but you gotta give me a big sign, like put it on a
billboard: Genny, stop doing Sisters." By stepping back and
praying, Nelson found herself with new perspective, got help with
fundraising, and was able to get the cafe back on its feet.
* Make tentative decisions and then watch their outcomes for
confirmation. The decision is not over until the fruits of the
decision are weighed against the organization's vision and
mission. When a Southwest Airlines manager made a verbal
commitment to contribute substantially to a new airport in
Austin, Texas, an hour's drive out of the city, senior executives
soon saw the folly of the commitment (since a commuter airline
relies on airports close to the city). It would have been easy
for senior executives to to back out of the deal, since nothing
had been signed. But they made the tentative decision to stick
with the commitment, weighing the decision against their
company's commitment to honesty and integrity. Even though
the decision was costly in the short run, in the long run the
company's reputation for keeping its word was upheld. There are
dozens more ways to achieve higher profits for your business by
bringing spirituality into the workplace, but just start by
following these five decision-making strategies and see how
quickly your management decisions make more sense!
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