We live in interesting times!
Look around outside your own little vortex and you’ll soon see what I mean:
Globally, we have wars going on, we have one of the largest nations in the world in a dividing political election, we have new Governments in France, UK.
Here in Australia, we have a mixed economy – the ASX hit an all-time high of 8246 in September while the unemployment rate is creeping up and we have high cost of living pressures and a housing crisis.
The personal impact of all this is huge: mental health is increasing, pressure on families and business is increasing, all at a time when HR reforms have hit, and every business owner needs to be aware and take some actions to protect themselves. (if you need more information on these such as Psychosocial Hazards, Right to Disconnect then let us know).
Some industries are ramping up, some are reducing headcount.
We have Artificial Intelligence, Generative AI, Metaverse, Augmented Reality and other technological advancements ramping up and then we have a hit such as the recent CrowdStrike scenario which put the world on hold (imagine if this was a planned attack – do you have cash on you at any given time?)
Talk about VUCA! (Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous).
This uncertainty is bound to affect business decisions.
Australia-wide (and I believe this to be a global trend) we have people managers who are having to learn how to manage people differently! Check out my theory Covid hangover for more insights into this.
So how do we make decisions when nothing seems certain? Shape Do You Struggle with Indecisiveness? Maybe it’s in Your Culture – Global Cognition
There are of course processes and frameworks we can adopt: from RACI, DACI, PACI to Agile methodologies, but to make decisions weather at Board level, C-Suite, Manager or Supervisor level, I genuinely believe you need to have strong Emotional Intelligence and know what and who you are as a leader.
Ask yourself some questions to align my thinking:
- Is your style one of a risk taker or risk adverse?
- Are you prone to be Directive under pressure or Consultative?
- Do you need to grow the business or consolidate? Do you have the capability for both scenarios?
- Do you have the right team around you to help with diversity in thinking and can action the plan?
- How you are internally wired will impact your decision-making process, if you need to know all the information, facts, figures – the decision will be accurate but will take time and you may lose business or people by being too slow.
If you go with intuition, knowing that your decision is based on some unknowns – the outcome would be quicker but may end up being the wrong one!
So how do you make those Goldilocks (just right) decisions?
Here at Optimum, we have undertaken numerous assessments to uncover the answers to these questions, we use a variety of assessments to assess Emotional Intelligence, Leadership styles, Coping Styles to ascertain who you are and how your team interacts and performs together.
If you are a people leader, you need to be self-aware. You need to know your strengths and how your team works together to ensure high-performance is continued and your people strategy aligns to your business strategy.
One of the most important pieces of decision -making is getting the message through your organisation in a compelling way. Influencing is a big trait and something we can help measure.
The decision must resonate, be aligned to corporate ethics and values so how you do this is as important as to why!
Whatever decision you have to make – good luck and remember that whatever you commit to – if it is not working, be strong enough to recognise this, take accountability, fail fast and try again.
Resilience and EI really do assist in turbulent times.
If this has you interested – reach out to us to talk through the options at a cost-effective price.
Stephen Cushion
General Manager – Consulting
Stephen joined Optimum in 2015 as the General Manager of the Consulting practice based in Brisbane. Stephen brought with him vast experience across HR consulting and executive recruitment, having previously worked for a global top tier talent management organisation and market leading companies.
