Business Spotlight 08.2019

BUSINESS SKILLS 45

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6/2019 Business Spotlight

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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?

5. 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