Prepare Upstream for a Major Decision

When a high-stakes decision looms large on the horizon, smart leaders talk through the possibilities upstream for several weeks or months before the critical analysis begins. This is not a discussion about the decision. Rather, it is a conversation about the nature of the decision. 

The best place to start this discussion is to ask the fundamental question: Why do we need to make this decision? 

While that sounds obvious, doing so far in advance of the decision allows for a more impartial view. Without the need to make the decision any time soon, those involved can explore the upside and downside of making the decision in the first place.  

Thinking about the nature of the decision has several other facets that yield important insights. Long before analysis of the decision begins, establishing and challenging the assumptions that will guide the analysis is a critical early step. What does the team or decision-maker presume about the marketplace, customers, competitors, efficiencies, costs, and other factors? Thinking through the premises upon which the eventual decision will be grounded can reveal some valuable insights and biases. 

Preparing for the decision in advance allows the decision-makers to relax their grip on a preferred reality and engage what the criteria of success for the decision might look like without the pressure of time. 

Knowing ahead of time what a decision must accomplish adds a clarity that is hard to achieve later. Turning the conversation toward the risks involved with any choice and the unintended consequences which must be avoided is much easier when the decision is not temporal. 

It's somewhat rare for teams and decision-makers to get a head start on a vital decision before it has to be made. Yet the advantages to do so make it a smart and productive exercise. If nothing else, the advanced preparation primes the decision-making process for success by getting everyone to think about the decision and giving them the time to let the issues marinate. In most cases, this can’t help but to increase the odds of a quality decision. 

As Muhammad Ali used to say, “I run on the road long before I dance under the lights.” Preparing in advance for a major decision may be the best preparation leaders can do.