Decision Rights: Beliefs and Principles

Good to Great teaches us that excellent companies have disciplined people who exercise discipline in thought and action.

1. A decision is a judgment. It is a choice between alternatives. It is rarely a choice between right and wrong. It often is, at best, a choice between “almost right” and “probably wrong” but much more often, it is a choice between courses of action - none of which can be proven more nearly right than another.
2. A decision is a commitment to an action that leads to a result. The two greatest causes of lack of commitment are the desire for unanimity and the need for certainty. Decisions often must be made with neither.
3. Great teams understand that reasonable people can disagree and still buy-in. They also are able to unite behind decisions and commit to clear courses of action, even when it is not certain whether the decision is correct.
4. A decision that needs to be sold after it is made is not a decision; rather, it is a recommendation. A decision must be sold before it is made. That is accomplished by ensuring that the key people who will have a part in making the decision effective participate responsibly in the discussion.
5. A decision needs to be driven by what is right rather than who is right.
6. Converting a decision to an action requires answering the following questions:
   1. Is the decision necessary?
   2. Who has to know about this decision?
   3. Who is to take action to implement the decision?
   4. What action has to be taken? When? Is it appropriate to the capabilities of the people who have to carry it out?