Insight:
When leaders ask for input to make a
decision, but don’t clarify how the decision will be
made, they may create unexpected issues and
upset.
John, a merchandiser at a clothing manufacturer,
was choosing order quantities for this season’s line.
He met with Deborah, a marketing team lead, to get
her input.
Deborah: "Pink is showing up everywhere. Look at
Europe, look at Hollywood, pink is in. It’s hot."
John: "I hadn’t realized pink had become so popular.
Thanks for letting me know."
John left the meeting and consulted with other
merchants and the stores. He ultimately decided to
focus this season’s quantities on tans and browns.
When the new line arrived in the stores, Deborah was
furious. She couldn’t believe that John had gone
back on his decision. John, on the other hand, felt
that he had just asked her opinion and hadn’t made
any commitments.
This type of misunderstanding is quite common.
Often, people leave exploratory conversations with
the belief that a decision has been made, even if the
conversation was intended just to gather ideas and
input. The result is confusion, upset, and loss of
trust—undermining people’s desire to collaborate in
the future.
Action:
When you initiate an exploratory
conversation, make sure people understand that the
conversation is for gathering information, not
decision making.
In the beginning of an exploratory conversation, let
people know:
- The intention is to brainstorm and collect input,
not to make decisions.
- What specifically is being explored and what has
already been decided.
- Who is going to make the decisions in the future,
and when will those decisions be made.
At the end of the conversation:
- Thank teammates for their contribution.
- Remind them that it was an exploratory
conversation and that no decisions were made.
- Explain the next steps and the decision making
process.
- Explain their future involvement in the decision (if
any).
Although it takes just a few sentences to share this
context at the beginning and end of exploratory
conversations, these few moments are essential to
avoid issues and upset.
When you are rigorous in clarifying the purpose of
the conversation, getting people’s input will cause
them to feel included in the decision making process
and increase their desire to collaborate in the
future.
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©2006 Jason Gore & The Collaborative Way
