There was no other way, to make effective decisions, I needed to strike a balance between two extremes: not relying too much on the opinions of my team members and respecting any feedback they gave. Now another problem arises, among the countless decisions faced on a daily basis, how to know when to "get" others involved and when not to? Here are the things I concluded.
Confidently make management decisions at key moments…
Work is always full of surprises, some things make us happy like catching gold, but there are also many things that make us "distorted". No one wants customers to suddenly cancel contracts or suddenly lose data, but it still happens more or less.
In a situation where immediate action is required, a manager needs to make an immediate decision. It can be a notice to immediately stop production or call the IT department, if necessary, immediately run to the data emergency center… There will be no time to consult each person on how to handle it. because the more involved, the more production will continue to take place and cause waste or important data will not be recovered. Sometimes time is more precious than gold and silver.
Another time that I will certainly advocate for myself is when making sensitive governance decisions. Giving someone a break, cutting staff... is something that any manager is afraid of, wants to avoid as much as possible, even it makes me sometimes feel like I hate this role, but I have to do it. for the future of the group. When the situation is imperative, it is not the time to consult, but the time to act decisively and do what needs to be done. On the other hand, this is a confidential decision that should not be shared widely and I will shoulder it alone.
Anyone who has worked as a manager has also experienced the situation of 9 people but up to 12 ideas, and when the group cannot reach a consensus, it is also time for the manager to make the final decision. Have you experienced a situation where a group took more than 3 days just to argue about which solution is better and the leader had to come out to mediate “Just follow the ABC direction, I will take responsibility”? This is probably the only way to stop the disagreement and the team can continue to work. Making this decision is not difficult, but the hard part is making sure the solution is correct. It's hard, but you still have to do it because you're a manager.
But there is also a time to listen to employees' opinions
Honestly, sometimes in a management position but there are many things I am not an expert on.
So when I need to make an expert decision but I'm not sure, I always reach out to someone who understands that aspect or who is most affected by the decision. They will have a lot of important things to say.
For example, if you want to innovate a production process, asking the employees who directly carry out the process is a wise choice. No one but them can predict the outcome of your decision to change. This leads to the second situation, which is when you want to receive new ideas that do not "touch".
“When it comes to letting employees participate in the administrative decision-making process, it doesn't mean giving them complete decision-making power, but listening to their opinions and taking them into consideration when making a decision."
Team members are great resources, sometimes untapped and just waiting for an opportunity to explode. I once worked with an employee who used to be very quiet in meetings and only spoke when "named" but said a sentence that "fazed" that sentence. There are many people who are shy, don't dare to speak their mind and wait to be asked, pull them out of their shell and you will get many ideas that you have never thought of yourself.
Many managers believe that if you want employees to feel appreciated and respected, let them participate in the decision-making process. Sounds theoretical right? But that's the reality. I remember when I was a newbie, when my boss asked for my opinion, I was very grateful, and sometimes I was happy all day because the idea was praised as unique.
Whether you're managing a small or large team, knowing when to make your own governance decisions and when to ask for the support of your employees is essential. Keeping this balance, you not only give employees the opportunity to prove themselves, but also improve management capacity and become more admirable in the eyes of subordinates.
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