This chapter presents a robust decision-making process that seeks to enhance the likelihood of arriving at optimal solutions and avoiding unwise decisions. This is a critical characteristic of effective leaders.

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Thoughtful leaders consider several issues before embarking on decision-making: 1) They begin by identifying the major types of meetings held in the organization, making a distinction between meetings that provide updates, share information, make decisions and provide continuous improvement ideas; 2) They select a team composed of a diverse group, but one that shares compatible perspectives, insights, and styles; 3) They craft meeting management rules that will guide discussion, such as always having a meeting agenda and limiting social time to the first few minutes of the meeting; 4) They incorporate a “plus delta” conversation at the end of every meeting, so they can routinize positive

sharing and improvement practices, and 5) They measure the quality of their decision-making against the values of the organization.

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The Robust Decision-Making Model makes a clear distinction between identifying problems and solving problems. The identification phase is when decision-makers seek to identify the core problems or issues. They do so by gathering information, analyzing it, and identifying the essence of the challenge. The resolution phase is when decision-makers decide what to do about the problem or challenge on both a strategic and a tactical level. They do so by gathering possible solutions, analyzing them and finally, selecting the optimal solution and path forward.

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To optimize the process, effective leaders engage in several behind-the-scenes strategies, such as encouraging iterative rather than linear thinking, and downplaying the status and roles of decision-makers.