One of the most effective ways for IT leaders to foster a sense of urgency in the IT organization is to adopt behaviors themselves that demonstrate what that looks like. Nothing broadcasts that quite like making smart decisions with confidence and then acting upon them. What’s more, strong, timely decisions can ignite a sense of urgency in a team.
However, that doesn’t mean shooting from the hip. Rather, it requires the ability to have confidence in one’s decision-making skills – something many people struggle with, for good reason. An IT leader’s decisions can ultimately deliver enormous value and opportunity for the business – or alternatively, create significant problems or risks.
[ Want more ideas on how to model urgency for your team? Read also: 20 ways to create a sense of urgency. ]
While there’s no way to guarantee a particular choice is the right one, IT leaders can take steps to make more confident decisions overall. Consider these seven:
1. Tap into a diverse network of advisors
When Wade Chambers, CTO and senior vice president of engineering for Grand Rounds, is facing a decision, he reaches out to trusted, knowledgeable sources in his network for input. “[I] engage them quickly on the topic. This could be a quick call or over a cup of coffee,” says Chambers. “I find that people are regularly willing to share their experience in helpful ways.”
2. Assemble an equally diverse IT management team
An IT leader who surrounds him- or herself with forward-looking managers with both business understanding and analytical skills is better poised to make clear decisions, says Rajiv Kohli, John N. Dalton Memorial Professor of Business at William & Mary’s Raymond A. Mason School of Business.
3. Institute a decision-making process
Ego and blind spots are detrimental to good decision-making. That’s why Chambers like to use a structured process to make key decisions. That includes writing down the key issues and involving others in discussing them.
“Writing it down forces you to frame the issue. And having a group discussion – and in some cases, deliberately forced debate – always seems to create a higher degree of confidence on issues of importance,” Chambers says.
This works best if IT leaders can avoid becoming emotionally attached to the outcome, says business consultant Stephen Hensley. “You must leverage objectivity and set a time limit.”
4. Address key risks during decision-making
Rob Llewellyn, founder of CXO Transform, which offers a digital transformation framework, advises IT leaders who want to make decisions more confidently to get key stakeholder buy-in first and to ensure that appropriate governance exists to do so. In addition, Llewellyn says, “understand your risks and assumptions before making your decision, and build a robust risk management plan that is well-managed.”
5. Don’t decide immediately
“I find confident decisions come about more easily when I don’t have to make 100 percent of the decision in the moment,” Chambers says. Rather than feeling pressured to instantly make a choice, Chambers instead takes time to focus on what creates a competitive advantage for the business and the predefined values and principles that drive his team’s decision-making. “I find it amazing how many answers become clear as a byproduct of filtering through these areas,” he says.
6. But avoid analysis paralysis
Hensley argues that leaders should be willing and able to write down the pros and cons of the problem they are facing and then act. If they or the organization gets stuck, he says, “you must find the root cause of what’s causing the paralysis.”.
There may be a lack of knowledge or understanding, concerns about direction, or a lack of teamwork or input from the right people that should be tackled in order to move forward.
7. Think through the implementation of decisions
Being confident about getting the right people in the right place at the right time for the activities that follow your decision will go a long way in being assured in the quality of the decision, says Llewellyn.
“Remember that good, informed decisions often fail because they are not implemented well,” says Kohli. “Summon experienced people, especially those on the front line, for input into how decisions will be implemented.”
[ What signals are you broadcasting? Read also: How to create a sense of urgency without stressing out your team: 7 tips. ]
