Option Solving Blog

Very recently your writer was watching a CEO contemplate how he could take his organization’s performance to another level. He had just recently been briefed on the possibilities of option solving, so saw the chance of flushing out a fresh option for mobilizing his organization to a new performance level. Hence he set to work.

And so his initial rational question turned out to be as follows: “What is our optimum requirement to increase our organization performance; considering 1) varying ages of staff, 2) cost of changes, 3) our marketplace, and 4) gaining the buy-in of our workforce?”  He thought through a range of considerations, but agreed upon this four so as not to make his task any more complex.

Now he set-about producing two “bookends,” which would operate as his yin and yang extreme possibilities. Such bookends would then help focus his intuitive mind on thinking about his company’s most realistic set of options to take his company to another level. These bookends are vital to prevent his fertile intuitive mind from wandering and losing focus.

Particular bookends that emerged were: “Make no changes” and “Completely change every process,” both of which he felt were his company’s least likely options – see our Latest Worked Example. These would now prompt a fresh range of options.

He was therefore challenged to think about at least five realistic options, to stretch his thoughts about alternatives as much as possible. It subsequently bubbled-up into six realistic possibilities. It’s perfectly okay to produce more than 5 or 6 and six is what he produced. You can view his six in our Latest Example of which one was: “Option D – Develop our leadership teams at every level.”

With his “pictogram” now available, with its range of six options, he was in a position to pursue emotional distancing. Emotional distancing would allow this CEO to draw upon his intuitive mind to sub-consciously review his new range of options. At this point, he was also made aware of a “Peeling the Onion” possibility, so he could ferret out the best way forward. What choice would you have made as a “Peeling the Onion” possibility?

He was encouraged at this point to return to his company’s leadership team and tap into its collective wisdom, to determine his company’s the best option. We will see in a couple weeks their choice and how they will use “Peeling the Onion” to determine the best approach to their chosen option.

If you have an example of your own, please share it with this blogger, through the COMMENTS area.  Thanks Option Solving. (NOTE: Next posting will be in two week’s time: “Peeling the Onion: What is my organization’s best option for enhancing performance to another level?” Let’s have your COMMENTS or go to peter@ileadershipsolutions.com to connect with the blogger. Also consider buying the book: “Smart Decisions: Goodbye Problems, Hello Options” through amazon.com)

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