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Controlling in business.

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What happens when you lose control.

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Controlling it all.

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Gaining different prospective.

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9.1 Planning and Controlling Operations

Learning Objective

Understand how operating budgets are used for planning and control.
Question: If you have established a personal budget, you know the importance of planning to achieve your goals. Assume one of your goals is to purchase a new car. It is not enough to simply state, "I want to buy a new car next year." If you do not plan ahead for a big expense like this, you may find that you don't have enough money for a reasonable down payment or that you have very large monthly payments. If you plan ahead, you may see that working some additional hours, cutting back on entertainment, or a combination of both, allows you to buy the car and avoid these problems. Organizations are no different, except their needs tend to be more involved. How do organizations formally plan for the future?
Answer: Let's look at Jerry's Ice Cream to answer this question. The company wants to increase sales next year, but will have difficulty doing this without some type of plan, often called a budget. A budgetA plan of the resources needed to achieve the organization's goals. is a plan of the resources needed to achieve the organization's goals. An operating budgetA short-term budget (typically one year) that focuses on the daily operations of the organization. is a short-term budget (typically one year) that focuses on the daily operations of the organization. Before presenting the detailed schedules of an operating budget, we first discuss how organizations use budgets to plan and control their activities.
Question: How are budgets used to help organizations plan future activities?
The Planning Phase

Answer: Budgets are established in advance to help organizations communicate their plans to employees and to help employees coordinate activities across the entire organization. Imagine Jerry's Ice Cream operating without a budget. If production has no forewarning of an increase in customer demand, Lynn Young, production manager, has no opportunity to plan for an increase in production. Inefficiencies will occur as Lynn struggles to keep pace with demand (e.g., employees working overtime or materials purchased at the last minute at a premium). Cash flow may suffer as spending initially outpaces cash receipts, which would force the company to borrow money quickly at a high interest rate. In the worst case, the company would run out of product, miss out on sales, and perhaps run out of cash.
Question: How do organizations use budgets to control operations?
Turn the example around and assume Jerry's Ice Cream does have a budget in place for the coming year. The budget communicates the organization's plans to Lynn, production manager, and Michelle, treasurer and controller, showing that sales are expected to increase. Lynn can then plan accordingly by hiring additional employees, arranging for the purchase of additional materials, and finding more space for production. Michelle can also plan accordingly by arranging for a short-term loan at a reasonable interest rate to meet short-term cash needs. As described here, the planning phase uses the budget to communicate plans to employees and to help employees coordinate activities across the organization.

The Control Phase

Answer: Organizations use budgets to evaluate performance. By comparing the budget with actual results, companies can determine whether employees, and the company as a whole, have performed as expected.

For example, assume Jerry's Ice Cream estimates sales for the first quarter of next year will be 40,000 units at $6 per unit. Actual sales turn out to be 38,000 units at $6.20 per unit. The company can evaluate sales manager Tom Benson's performance by comparing the budget to actual results. For unit sales, Tom did not perform as well as expected (38,000 units actually sold versus 40,000 in budgeted unit sales). However, Tom exceeded expectations for sales price ($6.20 per unit actual sales price versus budgeted sales price of $6).

The next chapter covers the control phase of budgeting in depth. We now turn to the process of creating an operating budget to plan a company's operations for the coming year. Creating an operating budget is an essential part of business. Depending on the type of product offered and the size of the company, operating budgets vary widely in complexity. International companies in particular face difficult hurdles when it comes to budgeting, as described in Note 9.4 "Business in Action 9.1".

Business in Action 9.1

Challenges of Budgeting for International Operations

Companies with operations in several different countries, called multinational companies, face numerous challenges in establishing operating budgets. Most experts agree that foreign exchange rates have the biggest impact on budgeting for multinationals. Specific exchange rates are used when the budget is established. However, these rates can fluctuate significantly and are likely to differ when companies compare actual results with the initial budget. This makes the budget control process difficult because exchange rate variations might cause the differences between actual results and the budget.

Exchange rate fluctuations, along with other market characteristics-such as economic uncertainty and unpredictable government activities-make budgeting for multinational companies a challenging task.

Key Takeaway

Organizations establish budgets to communicate their plans to employees and to coordinate the activities of employees across the entire organization. Budgets are often compared with actual results to evaluate employee and organizational performance.

Review Problem 9.1

Why do most organizations prepare an operating budget?

Solution to Review Problem 9.1

Most organizations prepare an operating budget for two reasons. First, budgets help managers communicate plans to employees, which in turn helps employees coordinate activities across the entire organization. Second, budgets are often compared to actual results to evaluate employee and organizational performance.

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Understand how operating budgets are used for planning and control. Question: If you have established a personal budget, you know the importance of planning to achieve your goals. Assume one of your goals is to purchase a new car. It is not enough to simply state, "I want to buy a new car next year."

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Leaders can encourage motivation.

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Disclaimer: This essay has been submitted by a student. This is not an example of the work written by our professional essay writers. You can view samples of our professional work here.

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This paper tells about roles of leadership and motivation in the field of management, how it plays, what kind of role it plays, how it is useful in getting success of the team and theories of leadership and motivation.

Introduction

Leadership and motivation, from the definitions leader means that who leads the team then he will be the leader for that team. But clearly, the leader does not always go first and he develops the effective ideas and implements those ideas by motivating the team members. So leader ship and motivation both are linked together. Now leader will be the person who motivates the team and that will be his leadership. The leader to accomplish their responsibility has to be familiar with how to inspire people and be obliged to search for ways to do this so as to preserve their position has leader. A good leader must posses a vision and having a vision provides a leader with purpose. This vision can help each employee to see what the future holds and what is the results of today's extra efforts and hard work. It also display what future offers as a rational extension of today's efforts. To a leader, vision is a reality that is in the reach in the near future. Vision is not a dream, it is reflect of breadth of understanding that enables an organization to advance and compete. A good leader designs and directs a precise plan for how to make a vision reality. The best vision is generated through discussion and debate with employees who carry and implement the vision. If employees are convinced about the purpose and reasons of implementing the plan, they will do extra effort in the reaching the shared vision. The vision should have a direct link with the objective of the organization. Finally, a shared and accepted vision is the critical link to high commitment and performance by every members of organization. A shared vision not only ties individual employees with together and leadership, but also generates a positive and constructive relationship between management and employees. The main steps in the creating of the shared vision are; employees and leaders must establish a working relation for the generation of shared vision; they proactively seek out for change rather than wait for a crises that demands action; they should define a shared vision for improvement of products and services; and they implement vision with the team work and group efforts.

Ethical Issues In Leadership And Motivation

"Actual leaders contemplate resting on undertaking the accurate obsession, not resting on deed possessions correct." With the aim of recommendation as of managerial board of advisers comes seeing with the aim of refusal bolt from the blue in the direction of respective firm leaders, according to what actives are crammed by means of easier said than done principled dilemmas.

Principals knowledge suchlike uncertainties taking place an every day basis. Having ethical liabilities in the direction of the social order, on the road to the line of work, en route for the institute panel in addition to students, they come across with the intention of "this frequently is not comprehensible what is correct or incorrect, or what individual have to carry out, or else which point of view is spot on within ethical stipulations."

Unluckily, comparatively a small number of chairpersons have been skilled in the direction of agreement in the midst of these contrasts. In anticipation of awfully newly, principled issues were agreed modest concentration within grounding structures.

Here Is An Example Describing About Ethical Issues Of School Leader

A senior fellow in the leadership field comments so as to school leader countenance an only one of its kind set of moral difficulties. Academies are ethical associations, premeditated to endorse communal criterions, in addition to chiefs are ethical assistants those have to time and again create resolutions with the intention of good turn single honest worth in excess of a different. In addition, even though schools are devoted on the way to the welfare of kids, students contain practically refusal authority into what appears close at hand. Intended for all such kind of contemplates. The privileged behaviour "has got to be intentionally ethical."

Influential's ethical sense of duty asserts develop not merely into the palpable everyday principled confusions, other than in the routine actions and structured networks with the aim of might encompass concealed moral casual remarks. A senior fellow in managing field comments that each communal preparation settlements several persons next to the outlay of the rest of persons; merely to suppose so as to schools exemplify pleasing values are "morally inexperienced, if not in the incorrect." consequently, the chief has got to not simply perform dependably at the same time as an human being, other than be obliged to produce an moral foundation or society.

Since influential's, cardinals have a particular accountability on the way to put into consequence influence into a principled technique. A senior fellow in Leadership studies adverts out that much of a principal's authority is moral; that means, tutors have got to be persuaded so as to the principal's indicate of spectacle reflect principles they prop up. Compulsion from side to side self-important influence will hardly ever encompass an optimistic, permanent consequence or result.

Examples Of Some Moral Dilemmas Are Facing By Chiefs

Since distinct by a senior fellow, a "moral predicament" is not a selection between correct and incorrect, although an alternative flanked by two privileges. If suppose, allowing for an inducement would be an "ethical enticement"; conclusive if insufficient possessions have to set off on the way to an outstanding set of courses or a dissenter-avoidance structure would comprise a quandary.

Confusions happen when exquisite standards divergence. A main who standards in cooperation educator self-sufficiency in addition to scholar attainment will countenance a tight spot while tutors wish for endorse a guiding principle so as to push down opportunities. This variety of disagreement is finely tuned for the reason that discipline best are unrestricted administrators by means of commitments to a lot of individuals those frequently encompass challenging principles or comforts. Must guardians be well-versed if an analyst apprentices with the intention of guardian's spawn is making an allowance for an aborting? Must a learner assemblage be talented to manuscript a congregation presenter and that presenter attitudes will hurt somebody's feelings several in the commune? Should the chief hold up an educator who has completed doubtful marking pronouncements? Several educational programmers put forward those commitments towards managers or chiefs set particular weight resting on principled executive. Meant for case, a fellow asked chiefs to approximation how "a characteristic co-worker" would act in response to theoretical confusions. Compassionate frequently announced that equals or co-workers would obtain "the pathway of smallest amount confrontation" with adjourning to admirable or captivating place of safety in bureaucrat actions, that the theoretical social group in point of fact reproduce the standard.

Ethical confectioners in general are in agreement close at hand is no moral "recipe book" with the intention of provides trouble-free solutions to multifaceted dilemmas. Other than a numeral of academicians encompass recommended a number of guiding principles.

1. Influential persons must have and live enthusiastic in the direction of take action lying on an unambiguous intelligence of principled values.

A fellow asserts that a completely well-versed principled awareness will be full of arguments of compassionate like what perform our affairs stipulate of us? Means that a leader should know that what he is going to perform; impartiality and it tells that how can we administer ourselves fairly? Because as a leader we should administer ourselves in order to perform requirements; and assessment Where do we go down diminutive of our have possession of principles? Like these type of questions has to be developed by an ethical leader.

2. Guider should look at problems commencing dissimilar attitudes.

A senior fellow described that there can be three kinds of dilemmas in any organization. One is to look forward to the momentousness of every preference and endeavor towards make out who is going to be pretentious, with in what kind of conducts. One more come up to have ethical regulations, presumptuous with the intention of the humankind would be a recovered position if populace for eternity helped definite extensively conventional principles (such as influential the genuineness). And final viewpoint accentuates thoughtful, which is comparable in the direction of the fair-haired imperative: How would we in the vein of to be appraised concealed by comparable state of affairs?

3. Superiors can frequently reassemble principled or moral issues or arguments.

A lot of noticeable confusion fluctuations are in point of fact "confusion fluctuations or dilemmas," contributing a third pathway so as to abstain the either-or thoughts. If we take an example like, double-dealing with a parent who substance in the direction of a meticulous coursework assignments on spiritual justification, a most important chief or principal might be capable to discuss an substitute project, by this means cherishing educational truthfulness devoid of circumventing on guardian privileges.

4. At long last, privileged individuals have to maintain the practice of mindful indications, anywhere it possibly will show the way them.

Explaining Leadership And Motivation Within The Group

Here I am explaining about a group and how the leader motivates the group. Here is a brief description about leadership and motivation by taking a group as an example. This example is my past experience when I worked in the group during my graduation project work.

We are five people formed as a group and our topic was how to make a successful organization and how individual should work in groups. So we searched a lot books and we collected a number of journals and we read successful manager's autobiographies and we finally came up with a great subject that was a "Belbin's profiles" and in that we found a very much information regarding leadership and motivation in order to get success a group or an organization should make an assembly and they should choose a leader. Here controversy comes in to the group who is going to be leader and how to choose a leader and there we found important key roles to choose a leader.

Those key roles are divided like resource investigator, team worker, plant, complete finisher, monitor, evaluator, coordinator and shaper. So every individual has their own personalities or profiles like explained above. If any individual want to become leader to a respective group he should fulfill all the requirements and achievements of those profiles like resource investigator deals in investigating of resources required to achieve a success of that group or an organization, team worker should maintain healthy relationships among the coworkers and walk on the road with coworkers to get success, plant this role is very important to the team because plant means base to the team or an organization. This role links with every role in the organization, complete finisher is the role deals in completing a project of a firm or a group.

Complete finisher's main duty is to complete the project without loopholes. He gets a copy of the project and stars investigation from plant to every profile's role and eliminates unnecessary factors and includes if there is a need to include a particular concept in order to finish like closed chain, monitor role plays a vital role in the group that is this role duty is to monitor every individual's work from starting the project onwards till closing of the project and he should present a daily base report or feedback to the team workers and to every individuals taking part in the project, evaluator's role is to evaluate the drawbacks or loopholes of the respective project, having healthy relationship with monitor and resource investigator, shaper , team worker. And about shaper this role deals with maintenance, performance of coordinator, monitor, and the structure of the project and team.

So any individual wants to become leader he should have experience in the entire roles and fields witch I just explained above and also if any group wants to choose its leader that group should consider all the roles. Because leader and his leadership is everything for an organization or a group and he should have capability to motivate his group.

Key factors to choose a perfect leader

Leader should have the aim on to improve workplace efficiency and also to diminish the minor problems with workplace he should come with his own creative ideas in order to motivate his team. And the successful leader has a goal like in any task to get the work completed and his leadership controls efficiency and by controlling efficiency he gets control on competitive value of service and finally achieves the success

"Leadership Innovation - Today, fast growing organizations are built on leadership innovation, that is, they are not built by product visionaries but by social visionaries - those who invent entirely new ways of organizing human effort."

And we have variety kinds of leaderships here like

Visionary Leadership in this decision making management plays an important role because for every success and failure of a management there should be an effective or ineffective decision making skills behind that success or failure. And this decision making visionary leadership puts an eye on work efficiency by moving decision-making responsibility to the frontline and there by achieves an increased efficiency. Efficiency is achieved with limited supervision. To make frontline responsibility effective, leadership must give workers opportunity to develop quality decision-making skills and learn to trust them.

Standard leadership , in this standard leadership leader only concentrates on the employees work like what he said and what is going on their? And what employees are doing to get work done? And workers to be robots to get work done, this is all about leader's nature in their qualities of making decisions and makes creative quality decisions. "This is called as command and control leadership. Low efficiency is caused by the disconnect between management and the frontline. Management is busy dealing with problems that affect them while ignoring problems that affect the frontline. Front line problems are only dealt with when they explode into a major problem. K-Mart stores use standard leadership."

Policies - the style of Leadership is monitored by workplace policies. "Leaders will adapt their style to the organization priorities and its goals."

High efficiency workplaces are based on visionary leadership, where workplace policies authorize decision-making responsibility at the frontline. Limited supervision is needed with worker responsibility.

Standard leadership is based on man's instinctive desire for control, which is leadership by default. A leader's changing mood controls policy of the moment and no one knows what the priorities are - mood-changing priorities reduce efficiency. Standard leadership requires a high level of supervision.

Elements To Consider

Ethical policies - Ethical policies at the organization's top filter down to the frontline. It is not possible to have unethical policies at the top and enforce ethical policies at the bottom. Leaders' ethical policies become the mindset of the organization. A person with high ethical standards will not stay long in an organization with low ethical standards, they will quit or be fired. A potential whistle blower becomes a threat, yet, this type of person makes an organization efficient. Success of workplace responsibility requires high ethical policies from top to bottom.

Exception to the rule - The military uses command-and-control leadership, yet the troops are highly skilled, motivated and morale is high. This is opposite the statements stated above. The difference - military organizations are team orientated with continuous training. Troops expanding their skills and experiencing capabilities they never dreamed possible, produces a highly motivated and efficient organization. Learning opportunity and responsibility is the key.

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Roles of Leadership and Motivation in Management

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Ways to motivate employees.

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I provide pragmatic advice and services to entrepreneurs and startups. Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.

Most successful entrepreneurs will tell you that their primary motivation is to "change the world" and to build something lasting, not to make a lot of money. But the conventional wisdom is that employees work for money, above all else. Yet my own experience, and a recent McKinsey survey, leads me to believe that non-cash motivators may be more effective in the long term than financial incentives.

I agree with Charles P. Garcia, who ties motivation most strongly to leadership, in his book " Leadership Lessons of the White House Fellows," based on this group of more than 600 prominent leaders from every sector of American society. They assert that employees value having strong leaders, who incent them to do their best, just as much if not more than money.

For action, he provides a list of principles for entrepreneurs and managers alike, derived from his first-hand discussions with some of the nation's greatest leaders. We all need to learn from these as we rebuild employee morale following tough economic times, with limited budgets:

1. Energize your team. Instead of being the type of leader who sucks the energy away from others, resolve to be the kind of leader who strives to bring passion and positive energy to the workplace every day. Your employees have just helped you pull your company through one of the nation's worst economic periods. It's time they had a source of positive energy.

2. There's more to life than work. Great leaders have deep reserves of physical, spiritual, and emotional energy, and that energy is usually fueled by a strong and supportive relationship with the people they love, regular exercise, a healthy lifestyle, and setting aside time for reflection.

3. Put your people first. No organization is better than the people who run it. The fact is that you are in the people business-the business of hiring, training, and managing people to deliver the product or service you provide. If the people are the engine of your success, to be a great leader you need to attend to your people with a laser-like focus.

4. Act with integrity. In a time when news reports are filled with the stories of private and public leaders who've acted inappropriately and have gone against the best interests of their employees or constituents, showing your employees that you value integrity can help motivate them and create a sense of pride for your organization.

5. Be a great communicator. Leadership is influencing others, and this cannot be achieved without effective communication. If you're struggling with communicating to your employees, first work on your ability to influence individuals by choosing words that are impactful to carry your message. Then you need to figure out how to communicate to a larger audience.

6. Be a great listener. The most effective leaders are the ones who take the time to listen not just to their team members' words but to the priceless hidden meaning beneath them. Remember that during good times and bad, sometimes your employees just need someone to talk to. Communicate to them that you are always waiting with open ears.

7. Be a problem solver. Post a sign above your office door that reads, "Don't Bring Me Problems. Bring Me Solutions." Then set about the task of guiding each person on your team toward the goal of becoming a top-notch problem solver during this crucial period.

8. Lead through experience and competence, not through title or position. Mentor your employees, encourage them, make partners out of them, and your organization is sure to benefit. If you want to survive the tough economy, that's exactly the kind of leadership motif you need for your organization.

The fundamentals of leadership don't change between good times and bad. But when money is in short supply, these principles can be the difference between success and failure. Now is the time to start motivating your employees by applying these principles, and your team will lead you through the hard times.

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8 Ways Leaders Can Motivate Employees Beyond Money

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Credit: Rice University Baker Institute Most successful entrepreneurs will tell you that their primary motivation is to "change the world" and to build something lasting, not to make a lot of money. But the conventional wisdom is that employees work for money, above all else. Yet my own experience, and a [...]

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This happens when it all comes together.

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Incorporating management into the process.

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You have to start from somewhere.

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Always use your resources.

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Understanding the different components of HR

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Because its important to understand how to communicate.

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10 Keys to Effective Employee Communication

The paradox of employee communication is that it is both simple and complex. We communicate with employees each day. Sometimes directly - when we respond to questions or requests, for example. Sometimes indirectly - when we issue new policies or send out a memo. Sometimes inadvertently - when our actions are observed by employees. Perhaps because communication takes place so naturally, we often fail to consider the process of communication as seriously as we should. Consequently, we often fail to communicate with employees effectively.

The importance of effective employee communication can't be over-emphasized. Employees are your conduit to customers and to the outside world. If they clearly understand your corporate objectives and messages they can serve as valuable ambassadors. If they don't have this understanding, or if they have negative perceptions about the company and its products or services, you can clearly see how damaging they can be to your mission.

Effective employee communication can also help to boost morale and improve productivity. Employees who understand their role in the organization and understand how their work contributes to the organization's overall success are more satisfied than employees who don't feel a connection between what they do and what the organization does.

Human resource professionals are in an excellent position to impact the effectiveness of employee communications, says Melody McNamara, HR Director for Hecklers Entertainment, Inc., an on-line entertainment site. "It's sort of a cliché, but HR is really customer service for employees," she points out. "It's very important to keep the channels of communication open, to get out there where the workers are, to show interest, to share information."

Ultimately, though, she stresses, "you are in the customer service business and your customers are the people who work for your company."

While many companies have a corporate communication function in addition to a human resource function, these two areas can work together to enhance communication, says Mark Steimer who leads the Internal Communication practice for Earle Palmer Brown Public Relations in Washington, D.C. "For an organization to enjoy exceptional employee communication," Steimer says, "human resources and corporate communication need to collaborate." For this collaboration to occur, he says, the two areas need to:

§ Respect one another's roles,

§ Rely on one another for relevant expertise, and

§ Realize the employees often view them both as a single "corporate" entity.

He agrees with McNamara's philosophy of employee as customer. "HR and corporate communication must both view the employee as a top customer," he stresses. And, he adds, "In the realm of employee communication, they must work together to exceed this customer's expectation."

How to do that? Kathryn Yates is a regional communications consultant with Watson Wyatt Worldwide, an HR consulting firm. She has more than 20 years experience in communications and operations management.

Yates offers ten tips for effective employee communication:

1) Never start at the beginning. It's important, Yates says, to start with the end result in mind. "Too often," she points out, "people jump into a communication project without considering what it is that they're trying to accomplish." Whether you're working on a simple communication task (introducing a new employee, for example), or implementing a major communication initiative (communicating with employees about a pending merger, for instance), you need to have a clear idea of what your communication objectives are.

2) Understand the business drivers. Communicators need to understand how their communications fit into the overall business strategy. "If there is a fault I've seen in employee communication," Yates says, "it's often that the homework hasn't been done." Understanding the business drivers can also help HR professionals gain credibility with business leadership. Communication shouldn't focus just on the "nice to know," it should focus on what employees "need to know" to help the business move forward.

3) Integrate. "Use every opportunity to put messages in a consistent framework," recommends Yates. For example, if you make a change in an employee benefit, explain how this change fits into the overall context of benefit administration. If you're introducing a new employee, explain how the new employee will contribute to the team and what personal and professional characteristics the employee has that mesh well with the organization's culture.

4) Don't waste people's time! Think very carefully about the number of communication pieces distributed within your organization. "Target your message and your audience as much as you can," Yates says, "so you're not just blanketing people with information." Consider, also, that people receive messages in many different ways. Some prefer print. Some verbal. Some electronic. A mix of messages, strategically planned, can help to ensure that all employees receive the information they need.

5) Get real. While it's okay to be positive as you frame your messages, it's critical that you be straightforward and clear. "Frankly," Yates points out, "credibility - yours and leadership's - is on the line." Sometimes you have bad news to convey. Be accurate, honest and direct - don't sugarcoat.

6) Listen as much, or more, than you speak. "This isn't rocket science. It's sitting down and saying, 'how much do I really understand my audience?'" Stephen Covey, author of 7 Habits of Highly Effective People says, "seek first to understand." This is good advice for communicators. By understanding the needs of your audience you can better design messages that will be meaningful and impactful.

7) Prioritize your messages. Focus on a few key points or you'll risk losing the attention of your audience, whether you're providing the information verbally or in writing. If you try to convey too much, you will end up conveying nothing. Be selective.

8) Consider an internal review board. A group of influencers within your organization can provide a great opportunity to test your messages before rolling them out to the entire company. Yates warns, however, not to use this internal review board merely to get agreement on what you're already done. "You need to really want to understand what they say - they're not always going to agree with you."

9) Don't fall in love with your communication product or process. It is quite common for communicators to create a newsletter that they think is wonderful, or a headline that they feel is clever, or an Internet page that they believe is very cutting edge, only to discover that the tools they created didn't achieve the goals they had intended. Don't fall in love with your communication products, Yates warns. Instead, she recommends, "fall in love with the result."

10) Measure and monitor your effectiveness over time. "Everybody says this, but very few people do it," Yates says. Measurement helps you understand if your messages are getting through, helps you determine how credible you are and provides an indication of the effectiveness of your communication tools.

Communication isn't easy. It's a constant challenge because both the external and internal environments within which we operate are changing constantly. The people we communicate with are changing too. As a communicator your job is never done. Nor will you ever achieve 100% success. You can, however, approach the communication challenge from a continuous improvement perspective. By following the keys outlined above you can fine-tune your communication efforts and work toward continually more effective communication with your important internal audiences.

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10 Keys to Effective Employee Communication

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The paradox of employee communication is that it is both simple and complex. We communicate with employees each day. Sometimes directly - when we respond to questions or requests, for example. Sometimes indirectly - when we issue new policies or send out a memo. Sometimes inadvertently - when our actions are observed by employees.

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Another authors perspective.

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References

1. B.S. Chakravarthy and Y. Doz, "Strategy Process Research: Focusing on Corporate Self-Renewal," Strategic Management Journal, volume 13, special issue, Summer 1992, pp. 5-14, quote from p. 6.

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3. A.H. Van de Ven, "Central Problems in the Management of Innovation," Management Science, volume 32, number 5, 1986, pp. 590-606.

4. L.R. Sayles, Leadership: Managing in Real Organizations, second edition (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1989).

6. For discussions of processes in the quality literature, see: H.J. Harrington, Business Process Improvement (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1991); E.J. Kane, "IBM's Quality Focus on the Business Process," Quality Progress, volume 19, April 1986, pp. 24-33; E.H. Melan, "Process Management: A Unifying Framework," National Productivity Review, volume 8, 1989, number 4, pp. 395-406; R.D. Moen and T.W. Nolan, "Process Improvement," Quality Progress, volume 20, September 1987, pp. 62-68; and G.D. Robson, Continuous Process Improvemen (New York: Free Press, 1991). For discussions of processes in the reengineering literature, see: T.H. Davenport, Process Innovation (Boston: Harvar Business School Press, 1993); M. Hammer and J. Champy, Reengineering the Corporation (New York: Harper Business, 1993); and T.A. Stewart,"Reengineeering: The Hot New Managing Tool," Fortune, 23 August 1993, pp. 40-48.

7. M. Hammer, "Reengineering Work: Don't Automate, Obliterate," Harvard Business Review, volume 68, July-August 1990, pp. 104-112.

8. J.D. Blackburn, "Time-Based Competition: White-Collar Activities," Business Horizons, volume 35, July-August 1992, pp. 96-101.

9. E.H. Melan, "Process Management in Service and Administrative Operations," Quality Progress, volume 18, June 1985, pp. 52-59.

10. Davenport (1993), chapter 7; Hammer and Champy (1993), chapter 3; Harrington (1991), chapter 6; and Kane (1986).

11. Hammer and Champy (1993), pp. 108-109; Kane (1986); and Melan (1989), p. 398.

12. Moen and Nolan (1987); and Robson (1991).

13. Davenport (1993), pp. 10-15; and Hammer and Champy (1993), pp. 32-34.

14. T.H. Davenport and N. Nohria, "Case Management and the Integration of Labor," Sloan Management Review, volume 35, Winter 1994, pp. 11-23, quote from p. 11.

15. I. Price, "Aligning People and Processes during Business-Focused Change in BP Exploration," Prism, fourth quarter, 1993, pp. 19-31.

16. Kane (1986); and Melan (1985) and (1989).

17. H. Gitlow, S. Gitlow, A. Oppenheim, and R. Oppenheim, Tools and Methods for the Improvement of Quality (Homewood, Illinois: Irwin, 1989), chapter 8.

18. P.F. Schlesinger, V. Sathe, L.A. Schlesinger, and J.P. Kotter, Organization: Text, Cases, and Readings on the Management of Organization Design and Change (Homewood, Illinois: Irwin, 1992), pp. 106-110.

19. J. Browning, "The Power of Process Redesign," McKinsey Quarterly, volume 1, number 1, 1993, pp. 47-58; J.R. Galbraith, Organization Design (Reading, Massachusetts: Addison-Wesley, 1977), pp. 118-119; and B.P. Shapiro, K. Rangan and J.J. Sviokla, "Staple Yourself to an Order," Harvard Business Review, volume 70, July-August 1992, pp. 113-122.

20. For example, see: A. March and D.A. Garvin, "Arthur D. Little, Inc." (Boston: Harvard Business School, case no. 9-396-060, 1995).

21. K.E. Weick, The Social Psychology of Organizing, second edition (Reading, Massachusetts: Addison-Wesley, 1979), p. 34.

22. S.C. Wheelwright and K.B. Clark, Revolutionizing Product Development (New York: Free Press, 1992).

24. L.A. Hill, Becoming a Manager ( Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 1992), pp. 20-21.

26. H. Mintzberg, D. Raisinghani, and A. Théorêt, "The Structure of Unstructured Decision Processes," Administrative Science Quarterly, volume 21, June 1976, pp. 246-275; P.C. Nutt, "Types of Organizational Decision Processes," Administrative Science Quarterly, volume 29, September 1984, pp. 414-450; and E. Witte, "Field Research on Complex Decision-Making Processes - The Phase Theorem," International Studies of Management and Organization, volume 2, Summer 1972, pp. 156-182.

27. Witte (1972), p. 179.

28. Mintzberg et al. (1976); and Nutt (1984).

29. For studies on capital budgeting, see: R.W. Ackerman, "Influence of Integration and Diversity on the Investment Process," Administrative Science Quarterly, volume 15, September 1970, pp. 341-351; and J.L. Bower, Managing the Resource Allocation Process (Boston: Harvard Business School, Division of Research, 1970). For studies on foreign investments, see: Y. Aharoni, The Foreign Investment Decision Process (Boston: Harvard Business School, Division of Research, 1966). For studies on strategic planning, see: P. Haspeslagh, "Portfolio Planning: Uses and Limits," Harvard Business Review, volume 60, January-February 1982, pp. 58-74; and R. Simons, "Planning, Control, and Uncertainty: A Process View," in W.J. Bruns, Jr. and R.S. Kaplan, eds., Accounting and Management: Field Study Perspectives (Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 1987), pp. 339-367. For studies on internal corporate venturing, see: R.A. Burgelman, "A Process Model of Internal Corporate Venturing in the Diversified Major Firm," Administrative Science Quarterly, volume 28, June 1983, pp. 223-244; and R.A. Burgelman, "Strategy Making as a Social Learning Process: The Case of Internal Corporate Venturing," Interfaces, volume 18, number 3, 1988, pp. 74-85. For studies on business exit, see: R.A. Burgelman, "Fading Memories: A Process Theory of Strategic Business Exit in Dynamic Environments," Administrative Science Quarterly, volume 39, March 1994, pp. 24-56.

30. Bower (1970).

31. G.T. Allison, Essence of Decision (Boston: Little, Brown, 1971); I.L. Janis, Victims of Groupthink (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1972); L.J. Bourgeois, III and K.M. Eisenhardt, "Strategic Decision Processes in High-Velocity Environments: Four Cases in the Microcomputer Industry," Management Science, volume 34, number 7, 1988, pp. 816-835; K.M. Eisenhardt, "Speed and Strategic Choice: How Managers Accelerate Decision Making," California Management Review, volume 32, Spring 1990, pp. 39-54; J.W. Fredrickson and T.R. Mitchell, "Strategic Decision Processes: Comprehensiveness and Performance in an Industry with an Unstable Environment," Academy of Management Journal, volume 27, number 2, 1984, pp. 399-423; J.W. Fredrickson, "The Comprehensiveness of Strategic Decision Processes: Extension, Observations, Future Directions," Academy of Management Journal, volume 27, number 4, 1984, pp. 445-466; and I. Nonaka and J.K. Johansson, "Organizational Learning in Japanese Companies," in R. Lamb and P. Shrivastava, eds., Advances in Strategic Management, volume 3 (Greenwich, Connecticut: JAI Press, 1985), pp. 277-296.

32. Janis (1972).

33. A.C. Amason, "Distinguishing the Effects of Functional and Dysfunctional Conflict on Strategic Decision Making: Resolving a Paradox for Top Management Teams," Academy of Management Journal, volume 39, number 1, 1996, pp. 123-148; D.M. Schweiger, W.R. Sandberg, and J.W. Ragan, "Group Approaches for Improving Strategic Decision Making," Academy of Management Journal, volume 29, number 1, 1986, pp. 51-71; and D.M. Schweiger, W.R. Sandberg, and P.L. Rechner, "Experimental Effects of Dialectical Inquiry, Devil's Advocacy, and Consensus Approaches to Strategic Decision Making," Academy of Management Journal, volume 32, number 4, 1989, pp. 745-772.

34. Janis (1972), pp. 146-149.

35. Bourgeois and Eisenhardt (1988).

36. E.H. Schein, Process Consultation: Its Role in Organization Development, second edition (Reading, Massachusetts: Addison-Wesley, 1988), pp. 17-19.

38. Schein (1988), p. 21.

39. Ibid., pp. 22-39.

41. Ancona and Nadler (1989), p. 24; Schein (1988), p. 50.

42. D. McGregor, The Professional Manager (New York: McGraw-Hill. 1967), pp. 173-174; and Schein (1988), pp. 57-58, 81-82.

43. R.L. Daft and G.P. Huber, "How Organizations Learn: A Communication Framework," in S.B. Bacharach and N. DiTomaso, eds., Research in the Sociology of Organizations, volume 5 (Greenwich, Connecticut: JAI Press, 1987), pp. 1-36; C.M. Fiol and M.A. Lyles, "Organizational Learning," Academy of Management Review, volume 10, number 4, 1985, pp. 803-813; G.P. Huber, "Organizational Learning: The Contributing Processes and the Literatures," Organization Science, volume 2, number 1,1991, pp. 88-115; B. Levitt and J.G. March, "Organizational Learning," Annual Review of Sociology, volume 14, 1988, pp. 319-340; and P. Shrivastava, "A Typology of Organizational Learning Systems," Journal of Management Studies, volume 20, number 1, 1983, pp. 7-28.

45. Nevis et al. (1995), p. 76.

46. T. Kiely, "The Idea Makers," Technology Review, 96, January 1993, pp. 32-40; M.A. Cusumano and R.W. Selby, Microsoft Secrets (New York: Free Press, 1995); Garvin (1993); J. Simpson, L. Field, and D.A. Garvin, "The Boeing 767: From Concept to Production (A)" (Boston: Harvard Business School, case 9-688-040, 1988); R.C. Camp, Benchmarking (Milwaukee, Wisconsin: ASQC Quality Press, 1989); and R.E. Mittelstaedt, Jr., "Benchmarking: How to Learn from Best-in-Class Practices," National Productivity Review, volume 11, Summer 1992, pp. 301-315; A. De Geus, "Planning as Learning," Harvard Business Review, volume 66, March-April 1988, pp. 70-74; Huber (1991), pp. 105-107; Levitt and March (1988), pp. 326-329; and J.P. Walsh and G.R. Ungson, "Organizational Memory," Academy of Management Review, volume 16, number 1, 1991, pp. 57-91.

47. Shrivastava (1983), p. 16.

48. Bourgeois and Eisenhardt (1988); and Eisenhardt (1990).

49. B. Blumenthal and P. Haspeslagh, "Toward a Definition of Corporate Transformation," Sloan Management Review, volume 35, Spring 1994, pp. 101-106.

50. A.M. Pettigrew, "Longitudinal Field Research: Theory and Practice," Organization Science, volume 1, number 3, 1990, pp. 267-292, quote from p. 270.

51. Van de Ven (1992), p. 80.

52. Van de Ven and Huber (1990).

53. C.J.G. Gersick, "Revolutionary Change Theories: A Multilevel Exploration of the Punctuated Equilibrium Paradigm," Academy of Management Review, volume 16, number 1, 1991, pp. 10-36.

54. For studies on creation, see: D.N.T. Perkins, V.F. Nieva, and E.E. Lawler III, Managing Creation: The Challenge of Building a New Organization (New York: Wiley, 1983); S.B. Sarason, The Creation of Settings and the Future Societies (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1972); and A.H. Van de Ven, "Early Planning, Implementation, and Performance of New Organizations," in J.R. Kimberly, R.H. Miles, and associates, The Organizational Life Cycle (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1980), pp. 83-134. For studies on growth, see: W.H. Starbuck, ed., Organizational Growth and Development: Selected Readings (Middlesex, England: Penguin, 1971). For studies on transformation, see: J.R. Kimberly and R.E. Quinn, eds., New Futures: The Challenge of Managing Corporate Transitions (Homewood, Illinois: Dow Jones-Irwin, 1984); A.M. Mohrman, Jr., S.A. Mohrman, G.E. Ledford, Jr., T.G. Cummings, E.E. Lawler III, and associates, Large-Scale Organizational Change (San-Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1989). For studies on decline, see: D.C. Hambrick and R.A. D'Aveni, "Large Corporate Failures as Downward Spirals," Administrative Science Quarterly, volume 33, March 1988, pp. 1-23; R.I. Sutton, "Organizational Decline Processes: A Social Psychological Perspective," in B.M. Staw and L.L. Cummings, eds., Research in Organizational Behavior, volume 12 (Greenwich, Connecticut: JAI Press, 1990), pp. 205-253; and S. Venkataraman, A.H. Van de Ven, J. Buckeye, and R. Hudson, "Starting Up in a Turbulent Environment," Journal of Business Venturing, volume 5, number 5, 1990, pp. 277-295.

55. Gersick (1991), p. 10.

58. P. Selznick, Leadership in Administration (Berkeley: University of California Press, 1957), pp. 103-104.

59. Tushman, W.H. Newman, and E. Romanelli, "Convergence and Upheaval: Managing the Unsteady Pace of Organizational Evolution," California Management Review, volume 29, Fall 1986, pp. 29-44.

60. R.M. Kanter, B.A. Stein, and T.D. Jick, The Challenge of Organizational Change (New York: Free Press, 1992), pp. 375-377.

61. R. Beckhard and R.T. Harris, Organizational Transitions, second edition (Reading, Massachusetts: Addison-Wesley, 1987); K. Lewin, Field Theory in Social Science (New York: Harper, 1951); E.H. Schein, Professional Education (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1972), pp. 76-84; and N. Tichy and M. Devanna, The Transformational Leader (New York: Wiley, 1986).

63. C. Perrow, "A Framework for the Comparative Analysis of Organizations," American Sociological Review, volume 32, number 2, 1967, pp. 194-208, quote from p. 195.

64. D.A. Garvin, "Leveraging Processes for Strategic Advantage, Harvard Business Review, volume 73, September-October 1995, pp. 76-90.

65. See, for example: Galbraith (1977); and Schlesinger, Sathe, Schlesinger, and Kotter (1992).

66. W.G. Astley and A.H. Van de Ven, "Central Perspectives and Debates in Organization Theory," Administrative Science Quarterly, volume 28, June 1983, pp. 245-273, quote from p. 263.

67. C.A. Bartlett and S. Ghoshal, "Beyond the M-Form: Toward a Managerial Theory of the Firm," Strategic Management Journal, volume 14, special issue, Winter 1993, pp. 23-46.

68. Hales (1986); Mintzberg (1973); Sayles (1989); and L.R. Sayles, Managerial Behavior (New York: McGraw-Hill, 1964).

69. J. Pfeffer, "Understanding Power in Organizations," California Management Review, volume 34, Winter 1992, pp. 29-50, quote from p. 29.

72. E.M. Leifer and H.C. White, "Wheeling and Annealing: Federal and Multidivisional Control," in J.F. Short, Jr., ed., The Social Fabric (Beverly Hills, California: Sage, 1986), pp. 223-242.

73. Hill (1992); and Kotter (1982).

74. W. Skinner and W.E. Sasser, "Managers with Impact: Versatile and Inconsistent," Harvard Business Review, volume 55, November-December 1977, pp. 140-148.

75. Examples include The Soul of a New Machine, featuring Tom West, the leader of a project to build a new minicomputer at Data General Corporation, and My Years with General Motors, written by Alfred Sloan, who resurrected General Motors in the more than twenty years that he served as the company's chief executive and chairman. See: J.T. Kidder, The Soul of a New Machine (Boston: Little, Brown, 1981); and A.P. Sloan, Jr., My Years with General Motors (New York: Doubleday, 1963).

76. Mintzberg (1973), p. 92; Sayles (1964), chapter 9; and Hales (1986).

77. Kotter (1982).

79. Sayles (1964).

80. Hill (1992); Kotter (1982); F. Luthans, R.M. Hodgetts, and S.A. Rosenkrantz, Real Managers (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Ballinger, 1988); and Mintzberg (1973).

81. D.J. Isenberg, "How Senior Managers Think," Harvard Business Review, volume 62, November-December 1984, pp. 80-90, quote from p. 84.

82. Sayles (1964).

84. D.C. Hambrick and A.A. Cannella, "Strategy Implementation as Substance and Selling," Academy of Management Executive, volume 3, number 4, 1989, pp. 278-285.

85. Mintzberg (1973), pp. 67-71; and Sayles (1964).

86. Isenberg (1984); and M.A. Lyles and I.I. Mitroff, "Organizational Problem Formulation: An Empirical Study," Administrative Science Quarterly, volume 25, March 1980, pp. 102-119.

87. Sayles (1964), pp. 170.

88. Mintzberg (1973), pp. 67-71.

89. D.A. Schön, The Reflective Practitioner (New York: Basic Books, 1983), chapters 1, 2, and 8.

90. MacMillan and Guth (1985); and Bower and Doz (1979), pp.152-153.

91. Mohr (1982), p. 43.

92. E.D. Chapple and L.R. Sayles, The Measure of Management (New York: Macmillan, 1961), pp. 49-50.

93. Garvin (1995).

94. E.H. Schein, Process Consultation: Lessons for Managers and Consultants (Reading, Massachusetts: Addison-Wesley, 1987); and Schein (1988).

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The Processes of Organization and Management

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References 1. B.S. Chakravarthy and Y. Doz, "Strategy Process Research: Focusing on Corporate Self-Renewal," Strategic Management Journal, volume 13, special issue, Summer 1992, pp. 5-14, quote from p. 6. 2. L.B. Mohr, Explaining Organizational Behavior (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1982); P.R. Monge, "Theoretical and Analytical Issues in Studying Organizational Processes," Organization Science, volume 1, number 4, 1990, pp.

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There are many different ways to get to the end result.

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Brining the process to fruition.

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Organizing, like planning, must be a carefully worked out and applied process. This process involves determining what work is needed to accomplish the goal, ass

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Training on making the right decisions.

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The one thing everyone on the planet has in common is the undeniable fact we've all made our fair share of regrettable decisions. Show me someone who hasn't made a bad decision and I'll show you someone who is either not being honest, or someone who avoids decisioning at all costs. Making sound decisions is a skill set that needs to be developed like any other. As a person who works with CEOs on a daily basis, I can tell you with great certainty all leaders are not created equal when it comes to the competency of their decisioning skills. Nothing will test your leadership mettle more than your ability to make decisions.

Why do leaders fail? They make poor choices that lead to bad decisions. And in some cases they compound bad decision upon bad decision. You cannot separate leadership from decisioning, for like it or not, they are inexorably linked. Put simply, the outcome of a leader's choices and decisions can, and usually will, make or break them. The fact of the matter is that senior executives who rise to the C-suite do so largely based upon their ability to consistently make sound decisions. What most fail to realize is while it may take years of solid decision making to reach the boardroom, it often times only takes one bad decision to fall from the ivory tower. As much as you may wish it wasn't so, when it comes to being a leader you're really only as good as your last decision.

Here's the thing - even leaders who don't fail make bad decisions from time-to-time. When I reflect back upon the poor decisions I've made, it's not that I wasn't capable of making the correct decision, but for whatever reason I failed to use sound decisioning methodology. Gut instincts can only take you so far in life, and anyone who operates outside of a sound decisioning framework will eventually fall prey to an act of oversight, misinformation, misunderstanding, manipulation, impulsivity or some other negative influencing factor.

The first key in understanding how to make great decisions is learning how to synthesize the overwhelming amount incoming information leaders must deal with on a daily basis, while making the best decisions possible in a timely fashion. The key to dealing with the voluminous amounts of information is as simple as becoming discerning surrounding the filtering of various inputs.

Understanding that a hierarchy of knowledge exists is critically important when attempting to make prudent decisions. News Flash - not all inputs should weigh equally in one's decisioning process. By developing a qualitative and quantitative filtering mechanism for your decisioning process you can make better decisions in a shorter period of time. The hierarchy of knowledge is as follows:

Gut Instincts: This is an experiential and/or emotional filter that may often times have no current underpinning of hard analytical support. That said, in absence of other decisioning filters it can sometimes be all a person has to go on when making a decision. Even when more refined analytics are available, your instincts can often provide a very valuable gut check against the reasonability or bias of other inputs. The big take away here is that intuitive decisioning can be refined and improved. My advice is to actually work at becoming very discerning.

Data: Raw data is comprised of disparate facts, statistics, or random inputs that in-and-of-themselves hold little value. Making conclusions based on data in its raw form will lead to flawed decisions based on incomplete data sets.

Information: Information is simply an evolved, or more complete data set. Information is therefore derived from a collection of processed data where context and meaning have been added to disparate facts which allow for a more thorough analysis.

Knowledge: Knowledge is information that has been refined by analysis such that it has been assimilated, tested and/or validated. Most importantly, knowledge is actionable with a high degree of accuracy because proof of concept exists.

Even though people often treat theory and opinion as fact, they are not one and the same. I have witnessed many a savvy executive blur the lines between fact and fiction resulting in an ill advised decision when decisions are made under extreme pressure and outside of a sound decisioning framework. Decisions made at the gut instinct or data level can be made quickly, but offer a higher level of risk. Decisioning at the information level affords a higher degree of risk management, but are still not as safe as those decisions based upon actionable knowledge.

Another aspect that needs to be factored into the decisioning process is the of the input. I believe it was Cyrus the Great who said " diversity in counsel, unity in command " meaning that good leaders seek the counsel of others, but maintain control over the final decision. While most successful leaders subscribe to this theory, the real question in not whether you should seek counsel, but in fact where, and how much counsel you should seek. You see more input, or the wrong input, doesn't necessarily add value to a decisioning process. Volume for the sake of volume will only tend to confuse matters, and seeking input from sources that can't offer significant contributions is likely a waste of time. Two other issues that should be considered in your decisioning process as they relate to the source of input are as follows:

1. Credibility: What is the track record of your source? Is the source reliable and credible? Are they delivering data, information or knowledge? Will the source tell you what you want to hear, what they want you to hear, or will they provide the unedited version of cold hard truth?

2. Bias: Are there any hidden and/or competing agendas that are coloring the input being received? Is the input being provided for the benefit of the source or the benefit of the enterprise?

The complexity of the current business landscape, combined with ever increasing expectations of performance, and the speed at which decisions must be made, are a potential recipe for disaster for today's executive unless a defined methodology for decisioning is put into place. If you incorporate the following metrics into your decisioning framework you will minimize the chances of making a bad decision:

1. Perform a Situation Analysis: What is motivating the need for a decision? What would happen if no decision is made? Who will the decision impact (both directly and indirectly)? What data, analytics, research, or supporting information do you have to validate the inclinations driving your decision?

2. Subject your Decision to Public Scrutiny: There are no private decisions. Sooner or later the details surrounding any decision will likely come out. If your decision were printed on the front page of the newspaper how would you feel? What would your family think of your decision? How would your shareholders and employees feel about your decision? Have you sought counsel and/or feedback before making your decision?

3. Conduct a Cost/Benefit Analysis: Do the potential benefits derived from the decision justify the expected costs? What if the costs exceed projections, and the benefits fall short of projections?

4. Assess the Risk/Reward Ratio: What are all the possible rewards, and when contrasted with all the potential risks are the odds in your favor, or are they stacked against you?

5. Assess Whether it is the Right Thing To Do: Standing behind decisions that everyone supports doesn't particularly require a lot of chutzpah. On the other hand, standing behind what one believes is the right decision in the face of tremendous controversy is the stuff great leaders are made of. My wife has always told me that "you can't go wrong by going right," and as usual, I find her advice to be spot on. There are many areas where compromise yields significant benefits, but your value system, your character, or your integrity should never be compromised.

6. Make The Decision: Perhaps most importantly, you must have a bias toward action, and be willing to make the decision. Moreover, you must learn to make the best decision possible even if you possess an incomplete data set. Don't fall prey to analysis paralysis, but rather make the best decision possible with the information at hand using some of the methods mentioned above. Opportunities and not static, and the law of diminishing returns applies to most opportunities in that the longer you wait to seize the opportunity the smaller the return typically is. In fact, more likely is the case that the opportunity will completely evaporate if you wait too long to seize it.

7. Bonus - Always have a back-up plan: The real test of a leader is what happens in the moments following the realization they've made the wrong decision. Great leaders understand all plans are made up of both constants and variables, and that sometimes the variables work against you. Smart leaders always have a contingency plan knowing circumstances can sometimes fall beyond the boundaries of reason or control - no "Plan B" equals a flawed plan.

If you have any other advice and/or suggestions about how to make better decisions, please share them in the comments section below...

Follow me on Twitter @mikemyatt

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The one thing everyone on the planet has in common is the undeniable fact we've all made our fair share of regrettable decisions. Show me someone who hasn't made a bad decision and I'll show you someone who is either not being honest, or someone who avoids decisioning at all [...]

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Lol make a plane before deciding to do it.

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It takes all the components working together to make it work.

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The process consist of many parts .

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The process of going global.

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Definition of corporate governance: The framework of rules and practices by which a board of directors ensures accountability, fairness, and transparency in a company's relationship with its all stakeholders (financiers, customers, ...

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It requires work from the whole team.

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When things are ethical all the pieces come together.

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