Speaker 1: 0:00

Did you know the average adult makes about 35,000 decisions every single day. I mean, this is from little choices like what are you going to eat, what are you going to wear? To the big ones like how do I set priorities? Do I need to hire somebody? Which strategy should I pursue? And here's the kicker about this. Research also shows that leaders spend nearly 37% of their work time on decision-making, but more than half of that time is wasted because the process that they use. If there is a process, the process that's used is inefficient or unclear. I mean, like no wonder so many leaders feel drained and we're second guessing ourselves or falling into the analysis paralysis, which I raise my hand and have to admit I was one of those. But that is why I developed a framework and it's called the Clear Decision Making Framework, and it's real simple, straightforward, but it's a practical way to make decisions with more confidence and efficiency, and then you'll have more impact.

Speaker 1: 1:29

Hey, welcome back to Leveraging Operations and Leadership, the podcast where we bridge the gap between leadership development and operational excellence so you can build and lead high-performing teams. I'm your host, tanya D Harrison. Let's get into today's episode. We're going to be talking about one of the most important responsibilities that you carry as a leader, and that's decision-making. Listen, we know that people in general make 35,000 decisions, so you already know that we probably make even more decisions. And this is really important because, decision that we make, it doesn't only impact us, it impacts the people around us, it impacts our team, it impacts the people around us, it impacts our team and, depending on what the decision is about, it can affect morale, the priorities and the performance your performance and your team's performance. Even, in some cases, depending on how your organization is set up, it impacts other departments. So we really have to think about a lot when we're making decisions. Two different areas that leaders fall into when we're talking about leadership is they either overanalyze everything, which is ultimately going to delay the progress, or react too quickly, which ignores long-term impact and the impact of others. And here's the thing when you learn to make better decisions, you literally shift from being seen as a reactive leader who's always responding to what's urgent, to a strategic and intentional leader who sets the pace and direction for the team.

Speaker 1: 3:34

If you are in middle management, this is extremely important in positioning you for your next level. In positioning you for your next level, the objective isn't to aim for perfect decisions. It's to use a process that helps you make the best possible decision with the information you have at the time the information that's available to you at the time, and that's where my clear decision-making framework comes in. So let's talk about how it works. Like I said, it's really straightforward. The C in clear is to clarify the issue. Now, this is extremely important. What are you really deciding? And often, what looks like the problem may not actually be the problem. So getting to the root cause and identifying with as much clarity as possible what the actual issue is is going to be imperative. Right, because you're providing a solution for the issue. If you're looking at it incorrectly, or the issue that you think it is is really not the issue, that means you're solving for the wrong thing.

Speaker 1: 4:57

The second thing you want to do L this is list your options. Don't stop at the first idea. You want to brainstorm possibilities and keep judgment out. At this stage, we're just throwing things out. We're brainstorming and, depending on what the decision is that you need to make, this may not just be you. You may be brainstorming with your team or other people. Consider that as well.

Speaker 1: 5:26

E is for evaluate against priorities. Now, within our organizations, we have a vision, we have values. You have operational goals. If you're leading a department, your goals are going to align at a higher level, but you're looking specifically what it is that your priorities are. Do they align? So you have to filter through all of this thing. So you have to evaluate against your priorities.

Speaker 1: 5:57

A is for assess the impact. Now you have to consider operational outcomes and the people impact. Who's going to be affected? What are the risks? And, like I said before, sometimes when you're making decisions, yes, it's going to impact. You may impact your team, but may also impact other departments. It may impact your clients. You have to assess all of that, what the impact is going to be.

Speaker 1: 6:32

If I provide a certain solution, how is this going to impact me, all of these people? Think about who your stakeholders are. R this is resolve and communicate. You're going to officially make the decision. You're going to assign accountability, who is responsible for implementing this solution? Then you're going to communicate it. You want to communicate the what it is that's going to be done and the why. So your team understands it. I get it. Every decision may not be able to come with a why, but you're going to provide as much information as possible.

Speaker 1: 7:17

When you walk through the clear decision-making framework, you not only make a stronger decision, but you also build trust and confidence with your team. Let me just say this, and then I want to give you an example of how I've used this with coaching clients the clear framework. It gives you the structure and a process that you can definitely rely on. But even with the framework, many leaders still struggle. When doubt creeps in, you might find yourself like second guessing, overthinking or delaying because you're worried about getting it wrong, or delaying because you're worried about getting it wrong. And if this sounds like you listen, no worries and no judgment. I've got you. That's exactly why I created the Leadership Shift Coaching Experience. It's a one-on-one space where we work together to not only apply tools like the CLEAR but also strengthen the confidence and mindset that allow you to make decisions decisively and stand behind them, because it's not just about having a framework. It's about having the inner clarity to use it. Making better decisions faster impacts you, your team and your positioning as a more strategic leader. If you're interested in the Leadership Shift coaching experience, head over to SignalPartnerscom. Slash the shift. Signalpartnerscom. Slash the shift.

Speaker 1: 9:01

Now I want to walk you through an example of a leader that I work with, and we actually use this in our sessions. So her issue was she had a team that was underperforming and heavily dependent on her. I know she's not the only one, right, this was me at one point. At first, it seemed like the problem was the team skills. They did not have what they needed in order to perform the job or the task at the level. But after diving deeper we realized the real issue. It wasn't capacity, it wasn't their ability to actually perform. It was more operational. So how we implemented the CLEAR framework is we clarified the issue Again. It wasn't the skills, it was the fact that the team didn't have the tools or the procedures and the clear direction needed in order to succeed. That was extremely important, because if we had went just solely based on the fact of her initially thinking that they didn't have the skills, then the solution would have been way off. So this is why I say that first step in being able to clarify the issue is extremely important.

Speaker 1: 10:29

The second thing we did was we listed her options right, so you could literally keep pushing for performance. I know leaders that have done that and in this case I definitely don't think it's the right option. But leaders, you know, push hey, you know I'm going to keep pushing for performance or you could replace the staff didn't align with the goal of building a sustainable, accountable team. Fixing the operations did, but in the short term it meant pulling focus from production time to train the team and build these new procedures, and it also required more time of her in making sure a lot of this was done. The assessment piece. So we had to assess the impact. The operational fix required upfront investment, but in the long term it would be better. So in the long term, you know, she would be able to reduce errors, strengthen accountability, ease her own workload, also increase the morale of the team. People generally like to do a good job and anything that we can help them do a better job is what we need to be aiming for.

Speaker 1: 12:01

Then she resolved and communicated, clearly explaining why the team was stepping back to strengthen systems before stepping forward. And this communication wasn't just to her team. This communication had to be communicated to people that she reported to. It had to be communicated with other departments that were interdependent on her. You know they needed to understand what this was going to look like. So a part of it was getting their buy-in for this, because ultimately, people want you to do a better job, they want there to be less errors and all of these things, but at the same time, sometimes people aren't as understanding in what is going to happen in the short run. So she had to be able to communicate that in a way that helped them to understand and to see how valuable this was.

Speaker 1: 13:00

So, of course, the result over time, errors reduced, the team became less dependent on her, which freed her up to do some of the things that she needed to do. Accountability increased, because now you have processes and things in place where you can literally start to hold people accountable, and what felt like a short-term setback, because there was an investment up front, it turned into a long-term win. The other departments were extremely happy with what happened because now they were getting better results and interaction with the team Because, like I said, most people want to do a good job and when they're not doing a good job, they start to feel some kind of way, and a lot of times that is seen by other departments, that is seen by if they're talking directly to customers and clients. That's seen in a lot of ways because they're not happy. Ultimately, we were able to move things forward and everybody ended up being in a better place.

Speaker 1: 14:15

The key takeaway here is just to remember that when leaders make decisions with clarity and intention, they model the kind of decision-making culture that builds trust and momentum. And again, the goal is not perfect decisions, it's clear decisions, and when you make decisions this way, you're not just solving problems, you're positioning yourself as a leader who leads strategically and intentionally, not reactively. You are positioning yourself for your next level. If this framework resonated with you, I'd love to hear how you might apply it in your leadership role and then also connect with me on LinkedIn and share your experience. Like I mentioned earlier, this is one of the things that we work on in the Leadership Shift Coaching Experience, because it's all about helping you build the confidence, clarity and mindset you need to lead boldly, uniquely, and make decisions that you trust and create the space for your team to thrive. You can learn more about the Leadership Shift Coaching using the link in the show notes or heading over to signalpartnerscom.

Speaker 1: 15:36

Slash the shift Again. Signalpartnerscom, slash the shift. I'd love to walk with you on this journey and help you through some of these things and help to position you to where it is that you want to be positioned for your next level, as well as helping you to build a high performing team that allows you to invest more in the things that you need to invest in. And don't forget to subscribe to Leveraging Operations and Leadership so you never miss an episode. And until next time, lead well, decide boldly and keep building your high-performance team.