Contents
3. Decisions as Avenues to Progress
4. Making the Decision: Is It Yours to Make?
5. A Key Question: Why Are You Making This Decision?
10. Is It Soley Your Decision to Make?
11. Do You Need to Share the Decision With Someone Else?
12. Consulting the Key Players
14. Is Consensus Decision Making Right for Your Situation?
15. When Consensus Is the Answer
17. Know Your Decision-Making Style
20. Covey Has It Right: Start With the End in Mind
21. Research Starts With the Ears
23. Techniques for Asking Questions
26. Prioritize—Know What Decisions to Make When
27. Seek Input From Others—Even When It’s Soley Your Decision
29. Consult With Mentors, Veterans in Your Field, Company Experts, and Colleagues
33. There are No Mistakes, Only Lessons
35. Leverage Risk for a Calculated Outcome
36. Avoid Making Decisions From Ego
37. Avoid Making Decisions Political
38. Avoid the Proverbial Knee-Jerk Reaction
40. Group Think Is Manipulation—It’s Not Consensus
41. Remember the Organizational “Layers” Involved
42. Whoa! You’re Challenging the Status Quo?
43. When Culture Stands in the Way
44. Ambiguity—Applying the Law of Co-orientation
45. Look for the Win-Win Result
46. Decisions That Require a Strategy
47. The Law of Diminishing Returns
53. Don’t Be Afraid of Conflict
54. Change Is a Natural Catalyst for Conflict
55. Change Is the Fuel of Progress
58. Handling Those Who Disagree
59. Base Your Decision on the Merits of the Proposal or Solution
60. Resist the Urge to Go With the First Option on the Table
61. Resist the Urge to Go With Very Limited Facts
62. Resist the Urge to Dismiss Problems That Require Dynamic Levels of Decisions
67. Take a Step Backward to Review
68. Sometimes You Need to Use Brakes
69. Comparing Outcomes With Goals and Objectives
70. Overcoming Mental Decision Blocks
76. Who’s That Cheerleader in the Cute Outfit?
78. Being Supportive of Other Decision Makers
79. Learn From Others’ Experiences
80. Respecting Differences of Opinion
81. Handling Other Decision Makers
82. Handling Those Affected by the Decision
84. Be “Ask Assertive,” Not “Tell Assertive”
85. Show Them, Don’t Tell Them
86. When You Don’t Have the Final Decision
88. Practicing Reason Over Rank for Better Decisions
91. Evaluation Also Means Looking at People
92. Good Decisions Today Are Tomorrow’s Successes Replayed
93. Moving On—From Success and Failure
95. Delegation Versus Decision-Making
97. Organizational Culture—Are You Set Up to Succeed?
98. A Closer Look at Delegation
99. Delegating Sideways and Upward
101. But I’ll Be Giving up Power!
102. Get More Time to Get More Done
103. Make Quick, Quality Decisions
105. Encourage Employee Commitment
107. Know Your Management Style
108. Develop Your Coaching Skills
109. They Like Me! They Really Like Me!
111. Delegate to Improve Relationships
112. Authority Versus Responsibility
113. Show Them the Vision and the Rewards
115. The “Who” and “What” of Delegation
118. Make Your Optimism Obvious
123. Fight the Fear of Mistrust
125. Fight the Fear of Delegating the Bigger Decisions
126. Outline Specifically What You Want Done
128. Don’t Jump at the First Sign of Trouble
129. Continue to Move Forward Even When Problems Arise
130. Have Employees Help Resolve Problems
132. Organizational Rewards of Delegating
133. Your Rewards for Delegating
134. You Get Relieved of Workload
140. Enhanced Sense of Accomplishment
147. Be More Than a Good Listener
150. Don’t Delegate and Forget!