One of the cornerstones of a productive and harmonious team is its ability to successfully make good decisions that impact the group. More important then that, it is critical to get all members to buy into the decisions once they are made. Whether you are deciding on your next budget cuts, specific project deliverables, or when overtime will be mandated, the decision process itself is as critical as the decision.

No matter how you think your team works, deep down leaders and workers both care about the fairness of the decision making process. In order for there to be buy-in, peace and support in your team the decision process must ultimately be perceived as fair.

Fairness is obviously a matter of who is making the determination, and so there are no set rules. But over the years I have found that decisions that are perceived as fair have some common traits.

First everyone impacted by the decision must believe they have had a real opportunity to contribute to the decision. Many fights and struggles in teams start because a decision was made without one of the members playing. How many times do you hear, “I can not believe you did that and didn’t even ask me…” If it happens a lot you need to check your process. It is probably doomed from the start.

Next all sides must feel the decision maker really listened to their input and considered their point of view prior to making the decision. This is particularly true when the decision will impact team members outside of the work environment.

More then listening, all members of the team must believe they had a genuine chance to influence the decision. If your team has developed to the point where certain decisions are made by the group, this is very important to stress. Team members need to understand that along with the ability to make decisions for themselves and others comes the responsibility to listen openly and weigh input. If you have modeled this behavior all along it will come naturally, so watch your actions and act consistently.

And finally, whatever the decision is everyone must understand the reason for the final choice. Early on in the process it is important to let everyone know if there is a pecking order to input. If there are outside forces that also will determine the choices to be made explain them up front. Help each member of the team understand why their position did not prevail.

One process you might want to try looks something like this:

1. Clearly define and communicate how the decision will be made and by who.

2. Next maintain an open mind set if the decision is truly open for discussion. Be very clear what the boundaries of each of the decision makers are.

3. Actively listen to all parties involved. Encourage everyone to ask questions for clarification. Regularly provide feedback to test for understanding. Above all, everyone needs to show respect for differing points of view, never interrupt to stop a dissenting opinion.

4. Once it is made, explain the decision and how you evaluated the information and made the choice.

5. Explain how everyone’s input was used. Clearly show how each team member contributed to the process, especially if their particular perspective didn’t prevail.

6. Last, openly and honestly recognize and thank team members for all contributions so they will want to participate in future decisions.

Obviously this is not the only process. Experiment, make your own. Just be sure to include each of the elements. If you do your decisions won’t be any easier but at least everyone on the team will understand them and believe they were treated fairly.

Steve Farmer is a leader in the field of Coaching. As a skilled professional coach, inspirational speaker and author he brings the power of individual coaching to everyday living. Steve empowers individuals to follow their dreams, achieve more in their current careers, and maintain a balance between their personal and professional lives. A busy entrepreneur himself, Steve understands the many demands and challenges facing today's busy adults. He also knows that amidst the chaos, people sometimes need support in maintaining both their sanity and a balanced life. With his innate listening and problem-solving gifts, Steve helps individuals find solutions to their difficult problems. Whether through one-on-one coaching, workshops, courses or keynote addresses, he helps people to better develop their personal talents and skills so that their journey to success and happiness is easier, more rewarding and less frustrating.

Learn more about Steve at his website http://www.innovations4life.com

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