The ability to make the right decisions is vital for any business leader. Leaders then of course need to be able to implement these decisions, often requiring a high level of leadership skill. So how do you improve the decision making skills of your leadership team? How can you help to ensure that your team is making the best possible choices for your organization?
Decision making techniques range from identifying any sources of bias to learning how to assess situations objectively. But what is the best way to equip your leaders with the skills they need to make sound decisions? By helping your leadership team to hone their decision making skills, you empower them to make the best decisions possible for your company, something that could well be the difference between success and failure.
Identifying sources of bias
Decision making is often coloured by various biases. We all have inherent biases, triggered both by our environment and our personalities. But when it comes to your leadership team though, it is not enough just to accept this facet of human behaviour. Instead you have to identify these biases and find ways to combat them.
The first stage is to identify any biases your leaders have, this requiring a mixture of observation, questioning and for the leaders themselves, a deal of heart searching.
By finding the factors that are influencing their decision-making, you are in a better position to help them combat their biases, thus enabling them to make better decisions.
Learning how to assess situations objectively
When making decisions, it is essential to be able to evaluate a situation objectively and without bias. This can be difficult, especially when there is a lot of pressure being applied to go down one particular path. Your leaders must therefore be able to break down a situation and analyse it objectively so that they can make the best possible decision.
To learn how to assess a situation objectively, they must first be taught to take a step back from the situation and remove any emotions from the process. This can be done by reflecting internally, taking a walk or engaging in other activities like Yoga or deep breathing exercises that allow them to detach themselves from the situation.
Once they have cleared their heads, they will be better able to examine the situation objectively, breaking it down into sections and identifying all of the factors that are at play. This will help them to make an informed decision without any biases or emotions clouding their judgement.
Developing problem-solving skills
Leaders have to constantly deal with problems, problems that often have to be solved quickly. It is therefore, essential that you instil the skills necessary to solve these problems into your leaders.
Otherwise, because they cannot quickly deal with the issues that crop up, they can end up holding their entire team back.
Basically put, problems can only be solved when a leader can look at a situation objectively, is able to assess all of the factors involved, and then come up with a solution that solves the problem without creating new issues.
Understanding the importance of collaboration
Successful decision-making often requires a deal of collaboration. If your leaders are working without any form of additional, external input, they can miss out on valuable insights that could help them make better decisions. You can ensure that your leaders and teams are collaborating effectively by setting guidelines on how everyone should approach the problems that they face.
This can be done in a number of different ways, such as holding regular brainstorming sessions and team meetings. You can also encourage collaboration by setting up a suggestion box where team members can share their ideas and insights about the company.
By ensuring that your leaders collaborate with their teams and other leaders, you enable them to draw on the full pool of knowledge and expertise that is available, which should help them to make well-informed decisions.
Developing communication skills
The best leaders instinctively know how to communicate clearly and effectively. This is important, as good communication skills are essential to resolving conflict, leading a team and making sound decisions. If your leaders are struggling to communicate effectively with their teams, you can help them improve their skills by developing an awareness of their communication style and improving their approach to listening.
Analyzing the risks of a decision
There is no doubt that making decisions can be a challenging process, especially when you have to take the risks associated with those decisions into account. The best way your leaders can be helped here is to show them how to break down the decision-making process into steps. At every step the dangers can be assessed and dealt with, perhaps by brainstorming ways that would mitigate those risks.
It is quite a task
Empowering your leadership team to make the best decisions is not an easy task. But there is one very easy way of covering all of the above, and this is by training your leaders and their teams using a simulation. By placing everyone in a situation that requires decisions to be made and enacted, you allow your staff to better understand the entire decision-making process while also appreciating the impacts of their decisions. This can not only increase the decision-making ability of your leaders, but will also foster a higher level of communication and improve team work.
Prendo have years of experience in constructing and running the very best business simulations available today, so if you want to improve the decision-making skills of your leadership skills, check out prendo.com today.