Business Spotlight 08.2019

(Nancy Kaufman) #1
BUSINESS SKILLS 45

Foto: privat


6/2019 Business Spotlight

AUDIO + PLUS
You can try our
exercises on this
topic on Business
Spotlight Audio
as well as in our
exercise booklet,
Business Spotlight
Plus. To order, go
to http://www.aboshop.
spotlight-verlag.de

clarify sth. [ˈklÄrEfaI]
, etw. klären
outcome [ˈaʊtkʌm]
, Ergebnis
summarize [ˈsʌməraɪz]
, ein Resümee ziehen

Language reference
Here are some examples of the language you can use
in your decision-making processes.

Defining the meaning and purpose of the
decision

What kind of decision do we need to take today?

Why do we need to take a decision?

How realistic/necessary is it to take a decision
this week?

Agreeing on the decision-making process

Who needs to be involved in this decision?

Who will be affected by this decision?

Is it an option not to take a decision?

Reviewing the basis for the decision
⋅ Do we need to know more before taking a deci-
sion?

How sure are we that...?

If we take this decision, we’re assuming that...

Making the decision
⋅ So, are we ready to take a decision on this?
⋅ So, can we all agree to...?

To summarize, we are deciding to...

Checking the decision

So, how do we feel about this decision?
⋅ Can we just take a few minutes to challenge^
our decision?
⋅ If we do this, how sure are we about the impact^
on... / the reactions from...?

Clarifying the meaning of success
⋅ So, what outcome would make this a great deci-
sion?
⋅ When and how will we know if this was the wrong
decision?

What happens if this is the wrong decision?

Reflecting on the decision-making process
⋅ What do people think about the decision-making
process today?
⋅ What should we avoid next time when taking^
a decision?

What can we do to improve our decision-making
next time?


In part seven of our series on leadership, we look
at how leaders can improve team performance.

BOB DIGNEN
is a director of York Associates
(www.york-associates.co.uk) and author
of many business English books. Con-
tact: [email protected]

It seems that failure, taking poor or risky
decisions, is essential to making it big. Not
making mistakes and taking bad decisions
may be an indicator that you are playing it
too safe and underachieving.
Ask yourself: What “bad” decisions have
I taken that have turned out to be “good”
decisions? What lessons have I learned
from failure?


  1. A question of quality
    A critical success factor for people work-
    ing together is to define collaboratively
    the meaning of the term “decision”, the
    nature of their decision-making process,
    and what they mean by “good” and “bad”
    decisions. For example, who is involved in
    the decision-making process? What infor-
    mation is used as the basis of decisions?
    And are decisions fixed once they have
    been taken or can they be reconsidered
    and changed — and by whom?
    If such issues can be discussed openly,
    individuals have a psychologically safe
    framework within which they can define
    their roles and collaborate effectively.
    The astonishing thing in so many organ-
    izations is that these basic rules of en-
    gagement are not clarified — with a neg-
    ative impact on the quality of working
    relationships and decision-making.


clarify sth.
[ˈklærEfaɪ]
, etw. klären
engagement
[ɪnˈɡeɪdʒmənt]
, Mitwirkung
make it big
[)meɪk ɪt (bɪɡ] ifml.
, Erfolg haben
play it safe
[)pleɪ ɪt (seɪf]
, auf Nummer sicher
gehen
Free download pdf