Learning to make better decisions is a skill that few intentionally set out to master.
The first book I ever studied on this topic was The Effective Executive, written by Peter Drucker.
It was given to me by Peter Van Niekerk when I first joined his executive team at Old Mutual Unit Trusts.
While this book is aimed at executives working in large organisations, the principles have applicability to small teams such as the ones we operate in on a shoot.
Here are the key insights for you to get a flavour of the book.
Effectiveness Can Be Learned
- Effectiveness is not something you are born with.
- It is something you can learn to get good at.
Know How You Spend Your Time
- Keep track of how you are spending your time at work
- Try to eliminate all time spent on work that is connected to achieving the team's goals.
Focus on Driving Results Rather Than Being Busy
- Focus on work that directly correlates with achieving the team's goals
- Don't focus on work that consumes time and energy and has no connection with results.
First Things First
- Prioritize tasks based on what will drive results
- Focus on those tasks one at a time
The Elements of Decision-Making
- Follow a structured process, which identifies the problem, specifies a solution, and commits resources and action to the decision
- Include a feedback loop which tests the effectiveness of the decisions against the actual course of events
Effective Decision Making
- To create effective decisions you need to value diverse opinions.
- Getting a variety of perspectives will shine a light on different aspects of the problem and potential solutions, leading to more robust decision-making
- By actively seeking out differing viewpoints, you can minimize the echo chamber effect, where only similar opinions are heard and considered, leading to narrow-minded decisions.
It's impossible to do justice to the richness of this book in such a short format.
I have read this book several times and each time I glean something of value.
I would strongly encourage you to read it in full.
https://www.amazon.com/Effective-Executive-Definitive-Harperbusiness-Essentials/dp/0060833459
