Security Sales & Integration January 2023 - 56

EXECUTIVE DECISIONS
Business Fitness by Paul Boucherle
Seek Wisdom in
Your Decisions
Ask the right
questions
to better
discover or
understand the
real problem
and not the
symptoms
causing the
crisis.
paul@matterhornconsulting.com
@swisssherpa
Part 3
▶ I SHARED THOUGHTS of business and life
wisdom in the last two columns - how to relook
at your own journey to help guide you and others
in growing your business, talents, intellect and
help develop the talents of the people you work
with. Here are some concluding thoughts.
Th ink about how you formulate your decision-making
process. Fast or slow? Th orough
or in the moment? Based on analysis of the root
causes or the symptoms of a problem? With your
brain, heart, opinions, or gut? Th e reality could
be all of these. Regardless, the crucial factor to
consider is TIME.
In a crisis situation, your gut may lead to a
quick decision because you perceive an inaction
will be harmful to a customer, an employee, or
your reputation. I respectfully disagree with a
quick decision. If you have not really analyzed
the root cause of the crisis it will appear again,
sooner that you may expect. Secondly, you may
set a precedent that will compound the problem
in the future. What is a more reasonable
approach?
Ask the right questions to better discover or
understand the real problem and not the symptoms
causing the crisis. We are human and everybody
makes mistakes, I get that. However, what
did we previously learn to add to your wisdom in
decision making? Dig in deeper by taking a more
process-driven approach toward a better, more
sustainable solution. Some suggestions:
Paul Boucherle, Certifi ed
Protection Professional
(CPP) and Certifi ed Sherpa
Coach (CSC), is principal
of Canfi eld, Ohio-based
Matterhorn Consulting
(matterhornconsulting.
com) and an SSI Industry
Hall of Famer. He has more
than 30 years of diverse
security and safety industry
experience.
56
1. Two heads are better than one; three-four
are much better. Utilize your interdependent
teams' brainpower to identify causes.
2. Use whiteboards to graphically identify different
elements that may have an infl uence
of the real root cause. Take a break and
review the next day, time permitting.
3. Have successfully used " fi shbone "
diagrams (cause/eff ect) with teams to
facilitate root causes that separate key
elements such as product, skills, resources,
Security Sales & Integration JANUARY 2023
and processes for service delivery and decision-making
authority. If you don't have
a certain amount of authority to make
decisions, problems fester.
4. Be a facilitator and not a decision maker to
encourage participation. Judging too early
is counterproductive to new thinking and
will intimidate the team.
5. Coach, don't lead until the root causes are
identifi ed and you have some consensus;
THEN put on your leadership decision
shoes. However, always ask how they
would solve this problem. Even if it is not
your way of doing things, this approach
resets valuable learning and builds confi -
dence in your teams.
Th ese steps have signifi cant impact on empowering
your team to think creatively and solve issues
before they land on your desk.
I always encourage clients to welcome a crisis.
I know that sounds strange. Do not immediately
assign blame to a person. Th ere can be factors
out of their perceived control or broken processes
they are following to not rock the boat for your
company and more importantly, your customer.
Look at the elements that placed a person in a
poor decision-making mode.
Finally, solving root causes may not always be
an internal problem. Rarely did you arrive at a
crisis by yourself; you may have had help. Leverage
that help in a new way.
In some situations, invite your suppliers and
customers to evaluate your initial assessments.
Th ey can play an objective part of the solution.
It could be as simple as miscommunication, assumptions
and unrealistic expectations based on
your resources.
If they truly value your business (suppliers)
or the services you provide (customers), they
will want to see you succeed; it serves their
goals as well.
Consider some outside, experienced, professional
assistance to provide expertise and objective
facilitation for more productive communication.
What they deliver can be a game-changer,
as well adding wisdom to your problem solving
and decision-making processes. Look at professionals
who have a broad perspective and have
walked in your shoes!
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http://www.securitysales.com
Security Sales & Integration January 2023

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