Use Strategy to Make Confident Decisions
November 16, 2023 | By David M. Wagner
When you make a major decision for your team, do you feel confident that you are taking them in the right direction? Or do big decisions induce feelings of anxiety?
A colleague recently asked me what the difference was between organizations that follow-through on their strategies, and those that don’t.
One differentiator is having a clear vision for your organization or program, and employing it to inform decisions. Making choices rooted in strategy helps overcome many of the roadblocks that make decisions harder. As a result, you’ll make better decisions, faster, and with more confidence.
Stumbling in the Dark
Without a strategy to guide decisions, leaders may feel like they’re stumbling through the dark, looking for any clues as to what direction to head.
This uncertainty can make every decision feel like a crisis. (And by that, I don’t mean actual crises – like catastrophic, unexpected events – although there are ways to stop crises from churning into chaos.)
I’ve been there. I once inherited the reins on an organization with no clear strategy. Within weeks, I was facing several critical dilemmas with difficult choices to make – choices that would impact our team’s engagement, future staffing, and budgets.
Those decisions were made more difficult because we had nothing to guide our choices.
Strategic Decision Making
Having a strategy is the obvious first step. But following through with aligned decision making is just as important.
I suggest using the following hierarchy of questions to ensure decisions align with your strategy.
What fits your values? No matter how promising the results, options that contradict your organizational values are sure to undermine your team culture.
What most advances your unique mission? Avoid the temptation to dilute your impact with mission-creep outside your specific lane, even if it feels like good work to do.
What best accomplishes your intended mission outcomes? This is the last “must meet” question in the hierarchy. Increasing mission impact by advancing your intended mission outcomes is the ultimate goal. Be careful about opportunities to improve related outcomes, which can indicate a risk of the same mission-creep as above.
What best satisfies your goals? If you have options that check the three boxes above, you have some flexibility here. Will your decision conform with your existing goals? Great! If not, it’s time to consider some tradeoffs. Are there different goals that you can (or should, based on current information) try to meet?
What supports your action plan? As above, you may have tradeoffs. A decision that fits all five criteria is a slam dunk. But don’t dismiss options that may require an adjustment to your plans (activities, timing, budget) but that may also advance your mission outcomes and goals even further.
Decisions that impact your organization are much easier to make when you have a strategy to guide your choices. If you’re ready to set a clear direction for your team – and simplify your decision making – set a free consultation to talk with us today.