By Bill Harley
Why do so many decisions needed in the world not get made? And when they do get made, why do they so often fail to effectively address the issue?
Unity is too often the “empty chair” around the decision-making table. Many decisions that need to be made in the world don’t get made because the parties to the discussion are so dis-unified that they can’t even agree on the terms for the discussion.
Sometimes, decisions actually get made, but the disunity during the discussion is so intense and intractable that the resulting decision ends-up failing to adequately address the issue. In effect, the decision “kicks the can down the road” for others to address at a later time.
And sometimes, decisions get made that effectively address the issue in many respects, but the disunity generated by the decision-making process leads to an aftermath where the decision gets attacked and undermined by some of the participants in the decision-making process. The uneven support given to the decision during implementation leads to its failure in addressing the issue.
One of the behavioral standards of Compassionate Consultation (CC)—the revolutionary decision-making process for the 21st Century and beyond—is Having Unity in Implementing Decisions. When the deliberating members commit to this standard of behavior, it means that once the decision is made—whether unanimously or by a narrow majority vote—all the members commit to whole-heartedly supporting the decision in word and deed.
The magic of this behavioral standard is that, with the variable of human support turned into a robust constant during implementation, the decision is given an optimal environment in which to take root, blossom and succeed.
The magic continues in the sense that, because the unity of the members is intact, when any sub-optimal aspects of the decision start to be noticed (for very few decisions are perfect out of the chute), the members can return to the decision-making table, discuss the situation without recriminations, and make tweaks to the decision that help it better adapt to the implementation realities being experienced. Then the members can wholeheartedly support that tweaked decision. In other words, the ideal environment for continuous improvement is established.
This behavioral standard alone contributes greatly to the superior results generated by Compassionate Consultation decisions—whether in government, institutions, businesses, communities, marriages or families. This and the other behavioral standards for CC are thoroughly explained in Jean’s and my second book, TRANSFORMED: How to Make the Decisions That Change Your Life. To dramatically improve your decision-making skills and your implementation results, read the book and apply its principles. The world will thank you.
