B Y L ARRY C HONKO, P H.D. T HE U NIVERSITY OF T EXAS AT A RLINGTON The Effective Decision Maker presents

The Effective Decision Maker What makes decision makers effective? They follow eight practices: 1.They ask, “What needs to be done?” 2.They ask, “What is right for the enterprise?” 3.They develop action plans. 4.They take responsibility for decisions. 5.They take responsibility for communicating. 6.They are focused on opportunities rather than problems. 7.They run productive meetings. 8.They think and say “we” rather than “I.”

The Effective Decision Maker The answer to the question “WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE?” almost always contains more than one urgent task.

The Effective Decision Maker Decision Makers are doers; they execute. Knowledge is useless to decision makers until it has been translated into acts.

The Effective Decision Maker Effective Decision Makers and Social Media It is imperative to focus on the prospect. SCENARIO: A direct selling representative is in the process of recruiting someone to enroll with a direct selling company. During their dialogue, the prospect brings up a blog with which she is familiar and that is highly critical of the company. How can the direct selling representative handle the situation?

The Effective Decision Maker Takes responsibility for decisions. Takes responsibility for communicating. Makes sure that both their action plans and their information needs are understood. Focuses on opportunities and problems.

The Effective Decision Maker Six situations for ethics decision making opportunities: 1.An unexpected success or failure in their own enterprise, in a competing enterprise, or in the industry 2.A gap between what is and what could be in a market, process, product, or service (for example, in the nineteenth century, the paper industry concentrated on the 10% of each tree that became wood pulp and totally neglected the possibilities in the remaining 90%, which became waste) 3.Innovation in a process, product, or service, whether inside or outside the enterprise or its industry 4.Changes in industry structure and market structure 5.Changes in mind-set, values, perception, mood, or meaning 6.New knowledge or a new technology

The Effective Decision Maker Runs Effective Meetings The meeting’s objective Use time wisely Satisfy participants that a sensible process has been followed Uses “we” instead of “I”

The Effective Decision Maker Five Common Ethical Traps The False Necessity Trap People act from the belief that they’re doing what they must do. 1.Consider the XYZ Corporation’s actions when it discovered that its supplier was providing artificial apple juice. XYZ cancelled its contracts but continued to advertise and sell the adulterated “apple” juice as a 100% natural product in its baby food line. Apparently falling into the false necessity trap, XYZ felt it had no choice but to continue the deception.

The Effective Decision Maker Five Common Ethical Traps The “Everybody Does It” Trap Unethical actions sometimes look good when compared with the worse behavior of others. 2.Using your PC at work to send a little personal (just a few quick notes) and perhaps do some much- needed research on an SUV you are considering buying. After all, the fellows in Engineering told you that they spend hours on their PCs checking sports scores, playing games, and conducting recreational Web surfing. Your minor infraction is insignificant compared with what’s happening regularly in Engineering.

The Effective Decision Maker Five Common Ethical Traps The Rationalization Trap People try to explain away unethical actions by justifying them with excuses. 3.Consider employees who “steal” time from their employers by taking long lunch and coffee breaks, claiming sick leave when not ill, and completing their own task on company time. It’s easy to rationalize such actions: “I deserve an extra-long lunch break because I can’t get all my shopping done on such a short lunch hour,” or “I’ll just write my class report at the office because the computer printer is much better than mine, and they aren’t paying me what I’m worth, anyway,”

The Effective Decision Maker Five Common Ethical Traps The Self-Deception Trap Applicants for jobs often fall into the self-deception trap. 4.Sometimes, students are all too willing to inflate grade-point averages or exaggerate past accomplishments to impress prospective employers. For example, suppose someone claims experience as a broker’s assistant at a prestigious securities firm. A background check reveals that the applicant had interviewed for the job but was not offered the job.

The Effective Decision Maker Five Common Ethical Traps The Ends-Justify-the-Means-Trap Taking unethical actions to accomplish a desirable goal is a common trap. 5.Consider a manager in a Medicare claims division of a large health insurance company who coerced clerical staff into working overtime without pay. The goal was the reduction of a backlog of unprocessed claims.