When choosing among the four methods of decision making consider the
following questions.
1. Who cares? Determine who genuinely wants to be involved in the
decision along with those who will be affected. These are your candidates
for involvement. Don't involve people who don't care.
2. Who knows? Identify who has the expertise you need to make the best
decision. Encourage these people to take part. Try not to involve people who
contribute no new information.
3. Who must agree? Think of those whose cooperation you might need in the
form of authority or influence in any decisions you might make. It's better
to involve these people than to surprise them and then suffer their open
resistance.
4. How many people is it worth involving? Your goal should be to involve
the fewest number of people while still considering the quality of the
decision along with the support that people will give it. Ask: "Do we have
enough people to make a good choice? Will others have to be involved to gain
their commitment?"
A crucial conversation about your decision-making practices can resolve
many frustrating issues.
The above is an adapted excerpt from the book Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High
by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan, and Al Switzler. The above
excerpt is a digitally scanned reproduction of text from print. Although
this excerpt has been proofread, occasional errors may appear due to the
scanning process. Please refer to the finished book for accuracy.
Copyright © 2002 Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron
McMillan, and Al Switzler , authors of Crucial Conversations: Tools for
Talking When Stakes are High
Author Bios
This award-winning team of authors produced the two New
York Times bestsellers, Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes are High
(2002) and Crucial Confrontations: Tools for Resolving Broken Promises,
Violated Expectations, and Bad Behavior (2005).
Kerry Patterson has authored award-winning training
programs and led multiple long-term change efforts. He received the
prestigious 2004 BYU Marriott School of Management Dyer Award for
outstanding contribution in organizational behavior. He did doctoral work in
organizational behavior at Stanford University.
Joseph Grenny is an acclaimed keynote speaker and
consultant who has designed and implemented major corporate change
initiatives for the past 20 years. He is also a cofounder of Unitus, a
nonprofit organization that helps the world's poor achieve economic
self-reliance.
Ron McMillan is a sought-after speaker and consultant.
He cofounded the Covey Leadership Center, where he served as vice president
of research and development. He has worked with leaders ranging from
first-level managers to corporate executives on topics such as leadership
and team development.
Al Switzier is a renowned consultant and speaker who has
directed training and management initiatives with dozens of Fortune 500
companies worldwide. He is on the faculty of the Executive Development
Center at the University of Michigan.
For more information please visit
www.crucialconversations.com