Smart Moves for People in Charge: 130 Checklists to Help You Be a Better Leader

Smart Moves for People in Charge: 130 Checklists to Help You Be a Better Leader

Book by Sam Deep, Lyle Sussman; Perseus Books (Current Publisher: Perseus Publishing), 1995. 296 pgs.



Title Page
Contents
Introduction
Five Ways to Use This Book
1: Build Your Executive Power
2: Spread the Word
3: Get Twe Word
4: Lead Your Team
5: Build Your Team
6: Renew Your Organization
7: Stay Close to the Customer
8: Control Your Organization
9: Find Your Balance
Index
Acknowledgments
About the Authors
Seminars by Sam Deep and Lyle Sussman

1
BUILD YOUR
EXECUTIVE POWER

When you're in charge, you make things happen. Through your
person, your position, and your style you influence other people,
both inside and outside your organization. This chapter will help
you achieve that influence with the best results for yourself and for
the people around you. Take a close look at the impact you have on
your organization.

1 Fourteen Strategies for Making Better Decisions

Regardless of the organization or department you run, your success
reflects your ability to make sound decisions. Some decisions are
minor (furniture for the office), and others are pivotal (restructuring
the corporation). It would be wonderful to have a genie sitting on
your shoulder whispering "yes" or "no" every time you face a tough
choice. If you can't find one, consider these strategies for increasing
your success rate.

1. Recognize your personal decision-making biases.
Are you more emotional or more logical? Are you a "numbers"
person or a "big picture" person? Do you jump to conclusions or
weigh information ad nauseam? Do you look for immediate fixes or
long-term solutions? Improve your decisions by understanding the
person behind them.

2. Involve colleagues who see the world differently from you.
Improve your decisions by opening your ears and your mind to a
perspective other than your own. Force yourself to listen to oppos-
ing views without becoming defensive. Test others' ideas before
deciding on them. (31, 32)

3. Fight the temptation to solve today's problem with yesterday's
solution.
We all develop habits and patterns of looking at the world. As a
result, when a problem seems similar to one you faced in the past,

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you're likely to handle it the same way as before. The world changes
too fast to fall back blindly on old methods.

4. Solve problems with a win-win orientation.
Seek decisions that give as much value as possible to everyone
concerned. Help others win, and they'll look for ways to return the
favor.

5. Solicit information from individuals affected by the decision.
Regardless of how good a decision is, it will never work if employees
fail to get behind it or, worse, if they sabotage your efforts. People
who are involved in decisions are more likely to go the extra mile to
make the decision a success. They may even point out solutions that
you never imagined. (40)

6. Make sure you're solving the right problem.
Ask questions to probe the scope and nature of any problem you
face. What are the symptoms of the problem? What are its root
causes? What's the gap between where you are now and where you
want to be? The answers to these questions will help you focus on
solving the real problem. (33)

After months of customer complaints about shoddy treatment, a
CEO elected to improve the training given to front-line em-
ployees. Immediately after the training, designed by an expen-
sive consulting firm, complaints fell sharply. Six months later they
were back to high levels. The reason? The real problem was the
inconsiderate and heavy-handed supervision of those employees.
The training had encouraged employees to treat customers bet-
ter. But when the same poor supervision continued, the em-
ployees returned to their earlier levels of alienation -- and poor
service.


7. Consider as many solutions as possible.
Use your creative juices. Brainstorm alone or with a group. Generate
as many solutions as you can before you evaluate any of them. When
you do begin the evaluation process, ensure that each idea gets a fair
hearing. Value each alternative for what's good about it before
condemning its drawbacks.

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Publication Information: Book Title: Smart Moves for People in Charge: 130 Checklists to Help You Be a Better Leader. Contributors: Sam Deep - author, Lyle Sussman - author. Publisher: Perseus Books (Current Publisher: Perseus Publishing). Place of Publication: Cambridge, MA. Publication Year: 1995. Page Number: 1.
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