Managing in the Gray

What Are the Net, Net Consequences?

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emotional reactions, I suggest that you try using a simple

decision tree.

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It looks like a technique, but it’s really a way

of thinking. It won’t give you answers, but it can give you a

much clearer sense of the consequences of your options.

Managers facing gray areas can create simple decision

trees by taking two steps. The first is developing a list of all

your options for dealing with the problem. That is, you don’t

start by thinking about what you should do, which is where

Feuerstein seems to have begun. Instead, be open-minded and

creative and focus on all the things you could do.

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Second,

work hard to flesh out the possible outcomes of each option

and the odds these consequences might occur.

That d ...