Published by Scott Neilson on 29 Oct 2013 at 10:56 am
Making the tough decisions…
A big part of leadership is making the tough decisions. No secret there. They pay you for it. Everyone expects it of you. You bear the responsibility for it.
However, there are a couple of interesting issues about making the tough decisions. The decision you make, right or wrong, is often not what you will be judged on most harshly. What people are often most critical of is (1) how timely was the decision, and (2) how, what and when you communicated about it.
For this post I want to focus on what you communicate.
A lot of leaders do not feel comfortable talking about the tough decisions they have had to make, such as laying off people. They feel that employees will not understand, will draw the wrong conclusions, will be demotivated, and will leave the organization if you tell them the “why’s” behind a particular decision.
Instead, those leaders make the tough decisions and then “bury” them hoping people will just forget. Over time, they do…forget the details. What they do not forget, though, is the feeling of unfinished business. It leaves behind questions, uncertainty, and doubt…and those feelings become the seeds of distrust and waning confidence.
While there are certainly times when leaders cannot discuss the details of decisions that have been made, there is a lot of room for improvement in this area, and a lot to be gained.
I think that leaders do not give employees enough credit for being able to process and handle difficult information. They can handle more than you think…and you should explain more than you do. It builds trust and confidence. That trust and confidence will buy you the benefit of the doubt in those inevitable situations in which you cannot discuss details. It also helps them understand more of the important issues at stake in your business and the complexities of managing them.
Try being a bit more open about difficult decisions you have had to make. I think you will be surprised at how well they will understand it and handle it. They may not agree, but they will be able to handle it. Most important, they will respect you for having the confidence to explain difficult actions, and for respecting them enough to share that kind of information.
29 Oct 2013 at 6:42 pm #
Employees who are truly valued in a company and given opportunities to participate often and regularly in some decision making, goal setting, and other organizational aspects of a business, will be fully engaged and “invested” in their company. They are no longer regarded as employees collecting a paycheck for their efforts but rather as colleagues who have the potential of building or sustaining a successful business. These types of employees will not have to be patronized when those tough decisions have to be made!
29 Oct 2013 at 1:02 pm #
Scott, you are absolutely correct that leaders must fully communicate the reasoning behind the “tough” decision. Not communicating the reasons makes employees feel like they have been dealt with as children. That is NEVER the right place to be.