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Communicate the Results

Guest post by: Eric Douglas

Article Overview: At some point, the decision is made. The next step is telling people the results and explaining the rationales behind the decision.

Communicate the Results

At some point, the decision is made. The next step is telling people the results and explaining the rationales behind the decision. Surprisingly, this is where a lot of decision processes break down. You may be done, but others are still in the dark. A complex decision affects a lot of people. I've never seen an instance in which people erred in communicating a decision too broadly. On the other hand, I've seen countless examples of failing to let key people know what happened. Don't forget to publicly recognize everyone involved. Small tokens of appreciation - a team t-shirt, a team photo- are important symbols of having participated in an important decision. Small things can symbolize big contributions and provide people the recognition that builds trust.

Once the decision is made, there's one more thing you should do. You should convene the people involved and ask for their feedback on how well the decision was managed. What worked well? And how could it be better managed the next time? This feedback may seem unnecessary - but believe me, you will glean things that can help you improve all your future decision processes.

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Article Tags: change, change process, communicate results, communication, rationales



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