Making Business Decisions for Tomorrow Requires You Deal with Your Management Issues Today
It's likely, at some point time along your management journey, you've heard this insightful quote from Heraclitus, a Greek Philosopher (c. 535 BC - 475 BC) "You cannot step twice into the same stream. For as you are stepping in, other waters are ever flowing on to you."
And, if Heraclitus were your leadership-management coach today, his simple message would be "Shift Happens!" His wisdom is true, more so than ever, as you manage your staff. You're dealing with shift on minute to minute basis. The issues you encounter, the decisions you make about those issues happen quickly, often in the moment!
This issue-decision relationship is at the heart of your management excellence. Issues are the situations from which you make the majority of your day to day managing decisions. Equally, your decisions raise new issues. Like a two sided coin, where you have two sides making a coin, you cannot have an issue without a decision and a decision without an issue.
Issues range from singular and specific to overlapping and complex. This range is highlighted by how you frame the issue and the experience from which you draw to make your decision. There are two broad types of issues. First are problems and their associated concerns. That is, something is not working and is hindering the work. Resolution inquiry is needed to solve these issues. For example ... you face budget cuts for the upcoming year or you arrive at work to find broken machinery meant to feed materials onto the assembly line. Both of these problem issues require your attention and solutions.
The second category is appreciations surrounded by enjoyment. That is, something is working well and is supporting the work. Appreciative questions are used to investigate this category of issue. Two examples follow. You have four janitorial staff that created a time saving approach to clean ceilings in one of two plants you manage. Now, you see the importance in expanding their approach to the other plant. Your personal assistance downloaded meeting software found useful to two of six managers reporting to you. Now, you see the significance in using the software with the other four managers.
However, there is a catch in the decisions you make from the issues you experience. Implementing an appreciation may incur a problem. While the use of meeting software worked with two managers. Implementing it with two of the other five managers did not work. You found instead, a paper version, with data inserted later, worked best. Conversely, implementing a problem may incur an appreciation. Fortunately, new preventive maintenance procedures helpful to the whole plant were found after fixing the assembly line machinery. Next steps are prepping the new procedures, writing job aids and training the staff.
It becomes apparent from these examples tomorrow's decisions are unlike yesterday's decisions. Arriving at work each day is like stepping into the river anew.
In leveraging your past decisions draw from the best practices you've identified. A warning however! Practices identified yesterday worked then, not necessarily today! Although, there are aspects of the best practices useful today. You'll find those nuggets through reflection and dialogue with others.
For your present decisions to be helpful for the future, make use of the creative process. It means a measure of abstraction and tolerance for possibility are woven into your decision making. You seek 'perform over perfection' as an individual and 'produce over perfection' with the organization. Even with disappointment, profound learning occurs. Such learning is useful to your creative approach and brings the best of yesterday's practices onward.
Whether the issue is a problem or an appreciation, accomplishing the desired outcome is a balance of patience, flexibility and discretion experienced through simplicity, humor and commitment. The patience, flexibility and discretion help you meet the organizational level frustrations and political agendas of others. The simplicity, humor and commitment helps you engage from where you are, with what you know and do to improve performance, increase productivity and reduce waste.
At the core of your management decision making is to know "Change surrounds every Challenge. Remain watchful to how you deal with issues and make decisions. Keep in mind your issues/decisions often whirl together at the same time. Use your creative approach and draw sensibly from your best practices. Challenge yourself in what matters. That is, leading, managing, communicating, delegating, collaborating, networking, and flexing matter! All of them, and more, express your management excellence.
And, if Heraclitus were your leadership-management coach today, his simple message would be "Shift Happens!" His wisdom is true, more so than ever, as you manage your staff. You're dealing with shift on minute to minute basis. The issues you encounter, the decisions you make about those issues happen quickly, often in the moment!
This issue-decision relationship is at the heart of your management excellence. Issues are the situations from which you make the majority of your day to day managing decisions. Equally, your decisions raise new issues. Like a two sided coin, where you have two sides making a coin, you cannot have an issue without a decision and a decision without an issue.
Issues range from singular and specific to overlapping and complex. This range is highlighted by how you frame the issue and the experience from which you draw to make your decision. There are two broad types of issues. First are problems and their associated concerns. That is, something is not working and is hindering the work. Resolution inquiry is needed to solve these issues. For example ... you face budget cuts for the upcoming year or you arrive at work to find broken machinery meant to feed materials onto the assembly line. Both of these problem issues require your attention and solutions.
The second category is appreciations surrounded by enjoyment. That is, something is working well and is supporting the work. Appreciative questions are used to investigate this category of issue. Two examples follow. You have four janitorial staff that created a time saving approach to clean ceilings in one of two plants you manage. Now, you see the importance in expanding their approach to the other plant. Your personal assistance downloaded meeting software found useful to two of six managers reporting to you. Now, you see the significance in using the software with the other four managers.
However, there is a catch in the decisions you make from the issues you experience. Implementing an appreciation may incur a problem. While the use of meeting software worked with two managers. Implementing it with two of the other five managers did not work. You found instead, a paper version, with data inserted later, worked best. Conversely, implementing a problem may incur an appreciation. Fortunately, new preventive maintenance procedures helpful to the whole plant were found after fixing the assembly line machinery. Next steps are prepping the new procedures, writing job aids and training the staff.
It becomes apparent from these examples tomorrow's decisions are unlike yesterday's decisions. Arriving at work each day is like stepping into the river anew.
In leveraging your past decisions draw from the best practices you've identified. A warning however! Practices identified yesterday worked then, not necessarily today! Although, there are aspects of the best practices useful today. You'll find those nuggets through reflection and dialogue with others.
For your present decisions to be helpful for the future, make use of the creative process. It means a measure of abstraction and tolerance for possibility are woven into your decision making. You seek 'perform over perfection' as an individual and 'produce over perfection' with the organization. Even with disappointment, profound learning occurs. Such learning is useful to your creative approach and brings the best of yesterday's practices onward.
Whether the issue is a problem or an appreciation, accomplishing the desired outcome is a balance of patience, flexibility and discretion experienced through simplicity, humor and commitment. The patience, flexibility and discretion help you meet the organizational level frustrations and political agendas of others. The simplicity, humor and commitment helps you engage from where you are, with what you know and do to improve performance, increase productivity and reduce waste.
At the core of your management decision making is to know "Change surrounds every Challenge. Remain watchful to how you deal with issues and make decisions. Keep in mind your issues/decisions often whirl together at the same time. Use your creative approach and draw sensibly from your best practices. Challenge yourself in what matters. That is, leading, managing, communicating, delegating, collaborating, networking, and flexing matter! All of them, and more, express your management excellence.
About the Author:
Looking to find the best insights on management excellence, then visit www.wellthlearning.com to access awesome tips, tools and techniques available through the FREE Encouragement Level Membership program.