Option Solving Blog

Your editor found himself talking with a client, during a recent leadership development session, about her potential conflict with a new compensation manager colleague about endorsing some recent staff salary upgrades. Her colleague was reluctant to endorse what had already been agreed, because she hadn’t been involved in the process. While my client could see her colleague’s point of view, she was reluctant to delay things further, since that could antagonize staff. Your editor offered to walk his HR client through an Option Solving exercise to help her come up with an optimum resolution.

So, your author and his HR client then set about finding an optimal solution by asking the question: “What is my optimum option for resolving potential payroll issue with new Compensation Manager; considering 1) staff eager for due rewards, 2) new colleague felt not part of decision process, 3) could flag new colleague’s immaturity on certain issues going forward, and 4) need to sustain overall staff morale?” Again, it’s appropriate to focus on just these four considerations to reduce complexity in their eventual conclusion, when that ultimate moment arrives – despite there being many other possible considerations out there.

Your author and his client decided to create yin and yang “bookends” posed by this question, to keep their mind focused. Bookends such as these are vital for preventing our fertile intuitive minds from wandering and losing concentration. We are mostly unaware of how powerfully valuable but foot-loose our intuition can be unless we can keep it properly focused on such occasions.   

These turned out to be: “Let matter slide rather than hurt colleague’s feelings.” – Lost opportunity to build constructive colleague-relations;and “Give her a lecture on how things are handled in the company” – Could undermine ongoing relationship. You will note the italicized detractors associated with these least likely options, which shows why they are not particularly good ideas for consideration. Even so, these bookends will now hopefully nudge your editor’s client intuitive thinking into high gear to come-up with a range of realistic options – see ourLatest Worked Option Example.

His client then set-out to produce at least five plus realistic options – A thru E or F – that would enable her to pursue Emotional Distancing (ED). EDwould allow her to take a couple of hours or more of quiet reflection, or even sleep on it, beforecoming to any final conclusion. You can replace these proposed five options with any new ones of your own.

His client’s final options look quite interesting and both were particularly intrigued by – Option A: Use Socratic approach to encourage her colleague to discover optimum solution. Your editor’s client should stand-by any initial decision, as it would likely only work against her to second-guess herself once that initial decision is made…no matter the challenges ahead.

If you have an example of your own, please share it with this blogger, through the COMMENTS area or contact him at peter@ileadershipsolutions.com. What is an executive/strategist’s best option for dealing with job/role demands? Thanks Option Solving. (NOTE: Our next posting will be in two week’s time. Let’s have your COMMENTS or go to peter@ileadershipsolutions.com. Allow time to connect with the blogger. Also consider buying the book: “Smart Decisions: Goodbye Problems, Hello Options” through amazon.com)

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