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What I learned about decision-making as a consultancy business owner

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decision-making

Consultancy is one type of expertise business besides financial advisors, personal stylists, a wedding planner, brand photographer, videographers, etc. As expertise business owners, we face different types of decision-making day in, day out. Let’s have a closer look at the types of decisions I have come across as a consultant, helping business owners, as well as choices I had to make as a small business owner.  

Decisions, decisions…

Decisions govern the flow of our life. We make decisions at every step of the way of our waking moments, from the moment we open our eyes till we fall asleep at night. Our decisions reveal our values, beliefs, and experiences. Moreover, some choices happen at and create new junctures in life. Although, not even good decisions can guarantee optimum outcomes or even an improvement in our lives. The way how we make choices influence these decisions, and therefore the results as well.   

The process of decision-making  

Decision-making is a process that considers the decision-maker and the environment in which the choice is made. The process of decision-making consists of a series of steps an individual follows when making a choice: collecting information, evaluating alternatives, and making a choice based on a set of criteria; finally, you act. During decision-making, various things are linked to you, which affect how you make your choices. These variables could be your fears, your deepest desires, circumstances, lifestyle, your beliefs to the overall outcome, and so on.   

In our Five Strategies to Make Better Decisions Faster Guidebook, we help you formulate your secret recipe to get closer to what you desire by giving you food for thought and exercises. It guides you through the steps of a transformational process that leads to a new you. Get in touch if you would like to acquire this guidebook.  

Now, let’s get back to our topic today. When you own or run a business, no matter the size, you are required and trusted to make the best decisions for your team. Business owners and managers must understand the impact and importance of each decision they make. The results of the wrong or right choices can affect the entire business. Business owners must continue to improve and update their decision-making skill set. Most of the time, the basics of decision making are the same. However, new techniques are evolving every day, impacting making significant decisions for your company.   

Collaborative technique of decision-making  

Also known as group decision making, collaborative decision making is a decision-making technique that works precisely the way it sounds. A group of people discusses and weighs up decisions. Most often, these people are chosen either at random or are compiled based on their experiences and knowledge in the company. This decision-making method is one of the most impactful ways to decide, but it is also the most time-consuming.   

For example, a company would like to make an investment, and you are part of the team that is preparing the analysis connected to this potential deal. When you work as part of a team, you need to approve a presentation supporting a decision-making process. The analysis is wide-ranging, considering the effect of the investment on the legal, economic, brand-related aspects of the business. This is a typical example of collaborative decision-making. Alternatively, when a firm decides that they would like to make an acquisition or a merger is also a good example of collaborative decision-making. Technology businesses, especially app development, require lots of decisions made in collaboration between team members and partners.  

An even more direct example of this technique is the following. In the pharma industry, there is fierce competition between companies in significantly shortening the molecules’ testing and approval time. In this process, many groups work together. The sales and marketing, product development, and regulatory teams work together on the decision of reducing the testing and approval time.  

Reaching a consensus  

When something is decided through the collaborative technique, it can happen through reaching a consensus or a non-collaborative decision. Decision-makers reach a consensus when all of the parties making the choice come to a common agreement. The above examples have a good outcome if they are reached through unison amongst the parties. The advantage of such decision-making is that it’s a win-win for all involved. It’s not about having a win here and be on the losing side elsewhere. The decision has the agreement of all parties because they accept the group’s choice due to it bringing them the value that is in line with their interest.  Nevertheless, not all collaborative decisions will be consensus-based. Some may be ‘dictated’ from upper management levels, and they need to agree, rather than want to agree with the decision fully.  

Sir, yes, sir! – The command technique  

The command technique is very rare nowadays. You may come across it in the army, or not even there. This decision-making technique is connected to the autocratic leadership style. Through the command technique, leaders make decisions without talking with higher managers or their teams when deciding. This style is standard and often speeds up the decision-making process. Often, this technique works best when you must make a quick, time-sensitive decision.   

This type of decision-making is used, for example, at the time of a merger or acquisition decision when leaders of an organization may not consult with you when making their choice. If the firm’s strategy and growth dictate to make an acquisition, they may not discuss with all managers that they are taking this step. In this case, the board of directors comes together, and they may make a collaborative decision. Still, that may not involve other managers in making this choice. Therefore, the decision will be collaboratively made for the board of directors, but it will be more of a command for the rest of the organization. So, the same decision from different angles may appear in a different light.   

Convenience technique  

Some decisions are made out of convenience. The decision-maker may choose to go with the flow or pick the option with less resistance, even opting for the alternative with the least pain. This technique comes in handy too, when the decision-maker wants to gloss over something they consider a weakness.   

The convenience technique is a ‘hands-off’ approach to decision making. This technique can be one of the toughest for business owners and managers. Delegating and trusting another person to make the best decision for your company may be daunting and stressful. However, this decision-making technique also opens up perspectives you had not looked at before. Handing over a decision to someone else on operational matters can empower your team while clearing up time on your schedule. The convenience technique is one of the most difficult methods, yet it is an impactful and rewarding way to make a decision. It has downsides, too, unfortunately. Placing decisions in an employee’s hands may leave you open to not knowing what is happening in your business. This notion could leave you facing trouble when they step out of the company.  

A stitch in time saves nine…  

As an example, for making a convenient decision, here is a situation that I’ve found myself in. I consider it as my life lesson. In my business’s technology department, I left many decisions to the person responsible for the IT side of my company. This was a decision I made out of convenience, as I did not want to spend time or energy with the technological details. Soon I had to realize that I got distanced far from the applied technological solutions. When this person left my company, it left me feeling uneasy that I didn’t know these things. I then had to learn everything connected to the technological solutions to be able to work my way through it all. I am a small business owner, and I must admit that I cannot be a jack-of-all-trades. Simultaneously, I have to possess enough knowledge to pull through and resolve occurring issues after someone leaves the business. My convenience decision stemmed from wanting to focus on product development, sales, and so on and therefore wanted the technological stuff to get resolved ‘on their own’. Well, lessons learned, I won’t do this in a hurry any time soon!

Photo by Sabrina Gricolat on Unsplash

Honestly about what it’s really like to start and run a business

by
Ariana Mara

Honestly about what it’s really like to start and run a business

In this podcast, Ariana talks through her real-life experience of how to start and run a business. She shares the milestones she hit on the journey of bringing her third company, unleashr, to life. You’ll get a sneak peek into the basic idea behind establishing unleashr, through taking the business online to how she and her team are building a new and different brand. Come and have a listen, it might just inspire you!

Podcast transcript

Hello Everyone,

It’s been a while, I know. We have been busy with preparing for product launches and putting an entirely new brand on the road. I am so excited!

Still very much to do, but sometimes we all need to take a step back and reflect on what is happening around us.  

So much has changed. When we started the Honestly series, we were free to move around. Understandably, now, we act with more caution because of the pandemic.

Also, I have to say that I am amazed by all healthcare staff’s efforts around the world. Not sure if there is a word that expresses the gratitude I am feeling for their work, even though I have been fortunate so far.

Some things haven’t really changed, though. For one, that is our passion for working for our clients’ success. We didn’t stop innovating and improving our business, which, I believe, is what all business owners do because this is how businesses move forward and create value. Which, I would say, is the essence and mission of a business.

Lately, I have been receiving a specific question, actually two, again and again, so there you go.

What is it really like to start and run a business?

Well, for me, it has been exciting, liberating, mind-blowing, inspiring, and a lot of hard work. So, if you are about to start and run a business and hear all the success stories promising you to get recognized and rich overnight… Well, my advice is to take these with a pinch of salt.

The girl needs to seriously get her ‘shit’/talent together to start a business that is born to succeed. Because, obviously, we all go for success. Statistics show though that only 10% of businesses are running after a few years.

I am not telling you this to ruin your dream or motivation about starting and running a business. Without dreams, your soul will be in trouble. And your drive will prove to be one of the most valuable assets when you run a business.

Today, let me tell you about experiences related to a few important milestones in the life of my business. I will jump right to unleashr, which is my third company.

I know there are many entrepreneurs out there who had multiple companies and learned the business by doing. I believe I am one of them. Even though I learned about business at uni, life has taught me so much. Also, in the line of entrepreneurs, perhaps, being luckier than most, I don’t have rags to riches story to tell.

I haven’t been dirt poor, although I had seen difficult times, and all my companies made it to success. The first one had its life cycle, and I decided not to take it to the next phase, but to start anew.

Also, all the companies were, and are, different, as I have been growing together with my businesses.

Milestone #1: Establishing unleashr

So, the first key milestone I want to talk about was when I established unleashr. It was born out of dissatisfaction, as many businesses are born out of some frustration.

Initially, it served business clients only, specifically, in the business transformation space, where I worked with senior leaders of medium to large businesses. That includes CEOs, Presidents, Vice Presidents, and Directors of these companies depending on the size and complexity of their organization structure.

I advised them to lead their teams through turbulent times and helped them as leaders to make the best out of these high-risk transformational periods.

As with our mentoring business, the approach has been unique and innovative. According to the feedback of the clients, highly effective as well. 

I developed a methodology, which puts people in the center. And, naturally, everyone will tell you the same. In practice, in such situations, the resources available to support individuals are so scarce that standardized methods take priority. This is what I was dissatisfied with. No transformation program reported unsuccessful and yet, numerous programs were in delay and reported efficiency drops following implementation. I am a bit of an efficiency freak. So, I spent quite a bit of time finding methods and ways that increase the effectiveness of transformational periods and yet don’t take as much toll on the people. This is what I built in that business.

Such progress and evolution are almost straightforward.

Not like when I took my business into a new direction when we started offering mentoring services to individuals. Again, a bit of natural evolution, though with a twist.

From that, you might assume that I run a business, develop it, and start a new direction equipped with the knowledge and experiences.

Milestone #2: Going online

So, here comes the second milestone I share with you. For that, I took the business online. Inevitable for scalability. Still in the same brand but with an expansion.

Imagine that you are standing in the middle of Times Square, early afternoon, in the summer. Literally, thousands of people are heading in your direction. Many tell you something, want to sell you something, want to take a photo with you. The experience is overwhelming. This is how I felt for the first time.

Gazillion offers around what works online; my head was buzzing from the webinars and courses.

  • What to do with Facebook ads?
  • Which funnels work the best?
  • How to provide engaging content?

While all that was extremely useful, I immersed myself in that world and came out somewhat wiser.
One of the most important learnings was that without a specific view on the brand and the offering I put on the table, it doesn’t matter how good the Facebook tactics are. I also learned that business strategy comes first, even if it is easy to get lost in the tactics.

Milestone #3: Building a brand

The third milestone will be about the brand we are preparing to launch. This is what we are working on. Also exciting, and this one also builds on the success of the previous product and service lines, but we take it one step further. This one was born out of dissatisfaction too.

Building a new brand that is different, and yet will step on the shoulders of a previous brand, is challenging. As with all the other areas of the business, it requires a constant balancing between strategizing and the delivery. It also keeps me on my toes, which I really enjoy.

What’s different is the risk management around it. Also, the challenge to adopt new things: information, techniques in marketing, branding, and the project management aspect as well.

I wanted to say ‘in general’, but in business, there is no ‘in general’, perhaps. So, in terms of the operations, to align the existing business lines and the new brand requires discipline, both in planning and in delivery. That we ensure through project management, all our operations are project-based.

Personally, because I am somewhat of a workaholic, I need to be conscious of my personal time. I also must make sure I eat healthily and take care of my body.
A business owner is the heart and soul of the business, which means your health has a primary impact on the health and success of your business as well.

I hope today’s podcast gave you a bit of an insight into what it is really like to start and run a business.

See you in the next episode of the Honestly series.

5 Things that Keep Me Going Every Day

by

2-min read

In my line of work, I often meet people who believe that success and happiness are gifts of angels softly landing on their shoulders if they pray for it, or that others are born with it.  But results are coming from a conscious and long-standing effort.

You desire it, you plan for it, you work for it without giving up. This is how you get there. Praying is the first step.  Although, I quite understand how difficult it is to keep on going every single day.

The other day, I was thinking about what keeps me motivated, and I found five thoughts that help me move forward every day and which I would like to share with you now.

  1. Life is Brilliantly Limitless
    I mean it, speaking from experience. I cannot count the number of times in my life when I thought I couldn’t do or achieve something I really wanted to. As long as I believed I couldn’t do it, I didn’t even try. Perhaps, I tried but invested in so little effort that I was ultimately doomed to fail.

Some beliefs, I brought from my family, others I developed along the way. If you think about it, we born into families and grow up with advice like go to the university, get a decent job with a decent salary, please your bosses and work your way up through the years.

We live in a bubble, in a pretty or not so pretty but well-defined glass box.

Truth is though that we live in a world of created things around us. We live in buildings designed by architects, we travel by planes built by engineers, we chat with chatbots developed by programmers. We cry or laugh watching movies dreamed and created by artists.

The world is truly limitless and constantly changing. Ripples of change every single minute; and I can not only be part of the change but can make a difference around me and through that shape life itself. I can create things others find useful, I can help others by sharing learning and advice. I can share my opinion, get others to support it and induce a change in the society. What a power in the hands of a single individual.

  1. It is the Value and not the Money

The most important in my work and my life is the value I bring in others’ lives; the way how we create it and the people I am creating it with. The positive impact we make using our resources to induce positive change and innovation, the way how we serve people.

Money is wonderful because it enables me to invest in ideas which I believe in and which may have a long-term return on investment. However, money can never replace a smile or a relief I see on fellow human beings who have just got through a difficult situation or figured out a solution to a problem that bugged them before.

  1. Excellence cannot be dismissed

Being passionate about the work we do and the services we provide is one of the primary building blocks of our progress. I get excited every time we talk about a new product or service. Just an idea of creating something that makes a difference fills me up with energy. Without passion, I am not sure how we would have pushed through difficult periods. But passion is only one element.

Excellence is about being undeniably good and constantly putting long-standing efforts in everything we do so we remain so good that we cannot be ignored. Excellence is about mastering the craft and do it with dedicated work. Excellence is hard work, and hard work is inspiring. How do women do business?

We work on products and content for our clients that make them think, make them stop for a second and give the realisation they need in that given moment.

  1. Everything happens for a reason

Even if I don’t understand why certain things happen, I know I will benefit from a particular life experience at a certain point in my life. Beautiful memories, as well as lessons, are part of life and I’d rather live a life full of experiences than wait on the sidelines and see others live it.

Experiences shape us to be who we are. I often find myself people I haven’t met before conversing with me and perhaps a couple of weeks or months later, in a situation when I most need it, the conversation just comes back and puts me on the right track. I am confident I am not the only one with such experiences. Life is amazingly mysterious.

With all that in mind, I am not telling you that we have no saying in our lives. On the contrary, I believe in cause and effect and that we make our choices throughout our lives.

And sometimes it is just not comfortable to admit something was our choice. But that is life as well, and as it might seem somewhat scary, it is liberating as well.

  1. I have a great team

Finding good people is harder than you think. Every business is different, and as a business is moving forward and growing new skill set is required. If you are lucky, like me, you are going to find people who expand with your business and who teach you on the way in return.

As an entrepreneur, I go to bed with my business and wake up with it. Some would say it is not healthy. I cannot imagine my life without being able to infuse ideas in my business and make them a reality. I am grateful for my colleagues, for their thoughts and inputs because I know this is how we can develop even better products and services. The questions on their minds will turn into solutions during our interactions and collaboration.

It’s worth to read the following article – Inspiration for women who want to achieve more

How Do Women Do Business?

by
How do women do business

2-min read

Businesses – small entrepreneurships and large multinational organizations – are built on passion. The passion of the founder and the passion and dedication of the people within the business. How else would you deliver something better every single day? Read on to find out about how women do business differently.

Women in business. Interesting topic, isn’t it? I love it!

Some believe business is the domain of men and even though the number of women in various areas of business has increased over the last decade, there is still room for improvement. I have built three companies so far and can confidently say all the businesses had a woman’s touch.

What is a woman’s touch exactly?

I have recently heard an interview with a property mogul. He explained that, in his opinion, women go deeper into the details to understand the whole process and the steps in it. Based on my experience, I can certainly confirm that.

For better or worse, I like to understand what is happening in the process. I say ‘for better or worse’ because going too deep takes precious time and I had to learn to be satisfied with the interpretation of critical metrics in my businesses. It was a learning curve for me to understand that my efforts to become knowledgeable about every teeny-tiny step in a process was merely my way of handling uncertainties and insecurities. I thought knowing all about it would make me more confident. It helped some, for sure, but it didn’t make the difference you would believe.

What made the real difference was to select excellent people and work with great suppliers. The ones who know their job and do their job.

I also understood from the interview that this property mogul thought women put more emotions and passion into a business. Comments similar to that haunted me for years.

Male executives dominate the side of my business where we deal with business transformations; and I heard such comments, not once.

The problem wasn’t the comment itself but how I interpreted it. Whatever those men meant to say when they made such a comment, I believed it had a negative meaning. Also, I wasn’t the only one.

Today, I can proudly say that, damn right, I put more emotion and passion into my business. Just differently.

Businesses, small enterprises, or large multinational companies, are built on passion. The passion of the founder and the passion and dedication of the people within that business. How else would you deliver something better every single day?

Being passionate is a good thing, as long as it drives forward the business. I believe, the problems start when fear and lack of self-confidence creep in, question marks queue in your mind every single day, and doubts build up. I make no mistake, it happens, you cannot avoid it from happening.

Putting more emotion into the business is not wrong; it’s just different. Women and men are different, and therefore they do business differently. Previously, I didn’t do research on how women do business, but I know how I do it. I put compassion in it, and I am well aware of that. Furthermore, I know that my thoughts drive my emotions, and see the difference between an opinion formulated based on feelings and hard facts. So, this is precisely why I think it is fantastic that women build businesses differently than men do.

The world is changing. Technology cuts through the fabric of business and society and people want to be connected more than ever. The level of self-awareness is increasing, and people stay with companies who demonstrate social responsibility. We get closer to the balance of heart and mind every single day. Women doing business is a part of this evolution. I am fortunate to be a part of this evolution.

For more inspiration read the following article Inspiration for women who want to achieve more.

Photo by LinkedIn Sales Navigator on Unsplash

3 Methods successful women follow to keep their career on track

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methods successful women follow

We bring many habits and beliefs from our childhood, but it would be a mistake to believe that only those beliefs influence us, even at later stages in our lives. There are good practices we can learn from successful women who already made it.

 

 

Also worth to check these 9 Ways to improve your self-discipline.

Some grow up in a family where setting goals is a natural part of kids’ lives from their early age, while other parents let their kids discover the way of planning their life and tasks on their own. One method may work as good as the other.

We bring many habits and beliefs from our childhood, but it would be a mistake to believe that only those beliefs influence us, even at later stages in our lives. There are good practices we can learn from women who already made it.
Let’s see a couple of examples:

Plan your life as you would plan a project in your work.

When you are working on a project in your job, you need to plan resources, assess risks, consider limitations and make sure the project is going to deliver the benefits you or your stakeholders expect.

  • Why would you accept anything less?
  • Why would you care any less when it comes to your life?

If you think about your career as a journey from the “Where have you been” through the “Where you are at the moment” on your way to the “Where you should be”, you are going to focus on what positions, tasks, experiences and skills take you there. And that is precisely the focus you need.

Fear not to say no

Over your lifetime many opportunities will come your way. Some will look particularly great, while others you need to let go.

You heard the word “no” many times in your life but when it comes to saying it to someone else, especially to a person who may be able to influence how your career develops, saying no might not be the most natural thing to do. We are all inclined to say yes now and then; when we should say no.

Think about it that way, every time you say yes when you should say no, you take time and opportunity away from yourself. Every time you say no you create space for something that works for you better.

Work with mentors

Setting goals is easy when you have a clear idea of what you want and a sense of purpose, but it becomes slightly fuzzy when you are not sure what direction to take. If you are in this situation right now, just know that you are not alone. Many people, at some point in their lives, will reach a turning point when they realise they have to change their ways.

Our parents or grandparents had probably worked for the same company for decades, while changes these days are constant in the majority of business sectors; and professionals need to adopt new practices more often than not. Whenever a change, affecting your career progress happens, it also creates an opportunity to think about your life overall.

In the middle of changes and the daily grind, your ability to see the bigger picture is different, and it is advised that you find a mentor who either had a similar situation in her or his life or has already achieved what you want to accomplish.

Ways how self-awareness helps your career progress

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how self-awareness can help your career article cover image

Why you are the best person to improve self-awareness

Some believe that self-awareness is the most important skill when it comes to building a successful professional career. On the other hands others may tell you that self-awareness is somewhat superficial, and you need to have a solid education and professional skills to make it in the world of work.

Even though there is an increasing number of articles and sources that provide you with information about self-awareness, it still might be slightly challenging to grasp the true meaning of it.

Finding a definition is quite easy but to understand how self-awareness works and more importantly how it helps your career progress may be a challenge.

Why is it a challenge?

I believe it is because understanding any concept is only the first step. Applying the knowledge and integrating habits that help self-growth can then follow.

First, let’s see what self-awareness is.

According to the Oxford Dictionaries, it is a “Conscious knowledge of one’s own character, feelings, motives, and desires.”

After reading this definition, it is easier to understand how self-awareness affects career and career progress. Think about the time when you started your career and be very honest.

  • How much was your first job a conscious choice?
  • How much did you consider your strengths and weaknesses when you sent out your job applications for the first time?

Majority of young people try to grab a job opportunity as soon as they can to start their career. So, don’t feel bad if you were not super conscious about your career choices back then.

I think I am right to assume though that, with time, your choices have been more about taking advantage of your skills and talent. As you matured, you focused on building a career that gave you the opportunity to expand either vertically or horizontally. Whenever you switched jobs, you were looking for something else, a new challenge.

You listened to your motives and desires and shaped your job search accordingly.

While this was undoubtedly your self-awareness in motion, you may ask yourself a question whether there were or there are other areas where your self-awareness could give you a competitive edge. And the answer to this question is a definite yes.

Regardless of the industry you are working in, or your professional field, no work can be done alone without the support of and contribution from others. To get that, you need to have social skills and the foundation of all success in any social environment is self-awareness.

Let’s just see a couple of examples, think about your work environment and job.

  • What makes you feel stressed?
  • What leaves you feeling depleted?
  • How do you respond to authority?
  • With what type of leadership style do you work best together?
  • How do you deal with criticism?
  • What is your number one conflict resolution tactic?

This isn’t me, but what is me then?

From the above questions you can see that without being self-aware you are not able to answer such question. Furthermore, without being self-aware, your choices around which company or team to join may leave you with disappointment.

Just by answering these questions, you will have a clear picture of what environment you would like to work in. In addition, you will see what type of work gives you inspiration and satisfaction. No one else can make these choices for you and although getting paid is great but getting paid for a job you don’t enjoy may be miserable. Check these techniques to help advance your career.

So, even if you think self-awareness is not the most important thing when building your career, I am sure you agree that it has such a high impact that you cannot ignore developing it.

Cover photo by Laura Dewilde on Unsplash

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Decision-making techniques in business

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Decision-making techniques

When you own or run a business, no matter the size, you are required and trusted to make the best decisions for your team. Review the most common decision-making techniques to help you run your business smoother.

Business owners and managers must understand the impact and importance of each decision they make. The results of the wrong or right choices can affect the entire business. It is vital that business owners continue to improve and update their decision-making skill set. Most of the time, the basics of decision making are the same. However, new techniques are evolving every day, having an impact on making significant decisions for your company. Below we have outlined the most common decision-making techniques that professionals use in businesses just like yours!

Collaborative Technique

Also known as group decision making, collaborative decision making is a decision-making technique that works precisely the way it sounds. Decisions are discussed and weighed by a group of people. These people, most often your employees, are chosen either at random or are compiled based on their experiences and knowledge in the company. This decision-making method is one of the most impactful ways to decide, but it is also the most time-consuming.

Consensus-based decision

When something is decided through the collaborative technique, it can happen through reaching a consensus or a non-collaborative decision. The consensus is achieved when all of the parties making a choice come to a common agreement regarding the decision. The above examples have a good outcome if they are reached through unison amongst the parties. 

The advantage of such decision-making is that it’s a win-win for all involved. It’s not about having a win here and be on the losing side elsewhere. The decision has the agreement of all parties because they accept the choice of the group due to it bringing them the value that is in line with their interest.  Nevertheless, not all collaborative decisions will be consensus-based. Some may be ‘dictated’ from upper management levels, and they need to agree, rather than want to fully agree with the decision. 

Command Technique

The command technique is very rare nowadays. You may come across it in the army, or not even there. This decision-making technique is connected to the autocratic leadership style. Through the command technique, leaders make decisions without talking with higher managers or their teams when deciding. This style is standard and often speeds up the decision-making process. Often, this technique works best when you must make a quick, time-sensitive decision.  

This type of decision-making is used, for example, at the time of a merger or acquisition decision when leaders of an organization may not consult with you when making their choice.

Convenience Technique

Some decisions are made out of convenience. The decision-maker may choose to go with the flow or pick the option with less resistance, even opting for the alternative with the least pain. This technique comes in handy, too when the decision-maker wants to gloss over something that they may consider a weakness.  

The convenience technique is a ‘hands-off‘ approach to decision making. This technique can be one of the toughest for business owners and managers. Delegating and trusting another person to make the best decision for your company may be daunting and stressful. However, this decision-making technique also opens up perspectives you had not looked at before. Handing over a decision to someone else on operational matters can empower your team while clearing up time on your schedule. The convenience technique is one of the most difficult methods, yet it is an impactful and rewarding way to make a decision. It has downsides, too, unfortunately. Placing decisions in the hands of an employee may leave you open to not knowing what is happening in your business. This notion could leave you facing trouble when they step out of the company. 

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