INTRODUCTION

Managers make countless individual decisions for which they are personally responsible and accountable. However, in most organizations managers collectively are also required to decide and implement decisions that will impact their entire organization simultaneously. It is these latter collective decisions that I refers to as “CORPORATE”.

In this series of six articles, I lay out a step by step process for corporate decision making. My experience has demonstrated that it  both helps groups arrive at and implement sounder decisions and provides the sort of management accountability any organization has the right to expect from those in charge.

I suggest reading them in order because each step builds on what comes before. This article is STEP 5

COMMUNICATING DECISIONS

There are few things humans do on a regular basis that are more difficult than communicating a clear, unambiguous message from one person to another.  I have been married to the same fabulous woman for many years, we know each other extremely well and can almost complete each other’s sentences.  But we can still miscommunicate without batting an eye.  Now increase the size of the audience by any number you like and the opportunities for miscommunication become almost limitless.

So with a decision and a set of success measurements in hand, time to craft a written message to your organization that aims to clarify what their corporate leaders have just done and why. Writing it matters because writing requires disciplined thinking and encourages clarity. Allowing multiple oral explanations encourages ad hockey, hyperbole and editorializing. The Process Monitor should manage this process.

While the exact wording of this important communique is always optional, I recommend you KEEP IT SHORT.  Use language that is simple, concrete and stresses what is in it for your organization. The attention span of most humans is limited and can easily be shortened by a plethora of words. Think one page.

Now, follow the simple crafting formula below.

Step one: CLEARLY STATE THE DECISION.  This may sound simplistic but clarity is often obscured by attempts to say too much, or by your choice of words.  Ask the simple question “what exactly did we decide “, then write it down. If you can’t do this in one sentence, you’re in trouble. Try again if you need to achieve more clarity.

Step two: CLEARLY STIPULATE WHAT YOU HOPE TO ACHIEVE AND THE REASONING BEHIND THE DECISION.  The goal here is not to sell, achieve buy-in, or justify your action.  The objective is to tell your audience what goal you are seeking and explain the reasoning that led you to the decision you made. This is a sign of respect for those the decision will impact; it lets them know you thought about the matter with care. A single short paragraph will do.

Step three:  CLEARLY STIPULATE HOW YOU INTEND TO MEASURE THE DECISION’S EFFECTIVENESS.  This step is a critical necessity of any sound decision making process. Otherwise, how will you know your goal has been achieved?  Letting a workforce know that you intend to measure results — and sharing the measures, metrics, data you intend to use — is a powerful message that enhances your managerial credibility.  It also reinforces that you understand that “there is no such thing as a decision until you implement it and see what happens”.  Communicating your measures for success is especially important to those who may disagree with the decision, letting them know there will be a re-evaluation.  A few short sentences please.

Step four: INDICATE EXACTLY WHEN YOU WILL UNDERTAKE A RE-EVALUATION OF THE DECISION’S IMPACT.  Putting an exact time frame on the re-evaluation process lends credibility to the promise it contains and forces some form of tracking process to fulfill the promise. It acknowledges your collective recognition that you will not know your decision’s impact until you have implemented it and observed the results. It also promises all those who may disagree with the decision, that there will be a reassessment on your part and an opportunity for course corrections. Finally, it communicates your understanding of the importance of closely monitoring the impact of all corporate decisions, because they effect the work lives of so many individuals.

No form of communication can guarantee an absolute clarity of message, nor assure the communicators that everybody will take away the same  understanding from its receipt.  But a carefully crafted, widely disseminated document like the one outlined above, certainly is a substantial improvement over each group member having a go on their own.

UPDATED May 2026

Categories: Exercising Responsibility, Leadership, Managing & Leading

Tags: advice for managers, advice for managers from managers, best managers, change leadership, decision making, effective management and leadership, effective managers and leaders, executive leadership, exercising authority, management advice, Managing & Leading