Turning People into Teams

This Decision Should Be Easier

Decision-making. Why is it so hard? People. People aren’t always rational. Or good listeners. We struggle with other people’s input on our work. And we can be conflict-averse. So we go around and around on decisions, both large and small. Consider these examples.

Frieda makes a major project decision over the weekend—and her teammates are not happy about it. Their next meeting is tense: She should have waited. There were better options. She’d cut them out. They want to change it.

Jeff and Lora keep debating how revising one tiny project detail could end up having huge consequences down the line. This single decision drags on for weeks, with the rest of the team waiting around for Jeff and Lora to figure it out. ...