By Sondra Calhoun
One of the most common communication breakdowns that I see with leaders is the lack of clarity with their teams in regards to decision making. Sometimes the leader wants input from their team and sometimes they are simply communicating a decision that has already been made. The conflict arises when the expectations of the role the team should play in the decision-making process is unclear. That often leads to frustrations on both sides.
Here are 4 different levels of decision making. Sharing with your team exactly what part you want them to play will reduce misunderstandings and free them up to implement the next steps.
Level 1 – The leader will make and own the decision without the team’s participation.
Level 2 – The leader wants the team’s input and will then make the decision.
Level 3 – The leader and the team will have equal roles in the decision-making process.
Level 4 – The team has complete ownership of gathering input and making the decision independent of the leader.
When you take the time to share with the team which level of decision making you are operating from, they are then able to put their attention and focus on their role in the process.