Giving Bobble-Heads A Voice
Have you ever had the sensation of leading a meeting, not with fellow humans, but with bobble-head dolls? Instead of input, all you get are vacant stares and bland nods of agreement? If this has happened to you, then SOUND THE ALARM! Your team has checked out of the conversation.
If you find yourself surrounded by bobble-heads, then you need to re-engage them. For starters, bring your team in on your next major decision. Then, as best as you can, explain the context surrounding the upcoming decision. Next, invite questions. Be thorough in your responses; don’t rush past this step. Finally, choose the decision that makes the most sense to you, and then enlist your team in the decision-making process by asking them to answer the following questions:
- What negative implications could this decision have?
- What assumptions underlie the decision?
- Do the assumptions make sense?
- Who must we persuade to support our decision?
By consulting your team, you’ve not only refined and improved the decision, but you’ve also given them ownership of it. Now, the entire team will be more likely to offer the decision their full support. Hopefully, you’ve also taught them to critically evaluate decisions and have given them freedom to speak their minds more candidly in the future.
Team Effectiveness Tagged critically evaluate decisions, decision-making process, enlist your team, full support, invite questions, leading a meeting, next major decision, re-engage, underlie the decision No Comments »
