The skills, personality traits and mindsets for good team decision making
May 6, 2024
One of the many factors that determines the success or otherwise of a team is how team members participate in decision making.
- Are team members suggesting ideas and providing feedback about ideas in a team forum or is their minimal contribution?
- Do some team members dominate the discussion and others simply agree with what is put forward?
- Is their impulsivity in decision making or overcaution causing indecision?
Decisions and decision making, particularly when important things are at stake, are usually better when there are a range of options put forward and the merits and faults of each are dispassionately interrogated and when the team makes a considered decision without the need for a perfect solution nor for everyone to agree.
The skills, personalities and mindset of the people in the room will determine whether the team has the capability to participate in decision making in a way that supports good decisions. So, what are some of the skills, personality traits and mindsets required?
- A contribution mindset. Team members do not try to win the argument but rather seek to contribute in order to add to the sum of quality information and a constructive collective decision.
- Self-assured. Team members are sufficiently secure in themselves such they don’t need to win the argument. They focus on the substantive issues and aren’t tempted to make contributions to score points against other team members.
- Assertiveness. Team members understand exactly what assertiveness is and are skilled in it. Some may have a reasonably forthright personality but they understand the need to listen, be patient and at times compromise. They are not consumed by anxiety about what people think of them. They realise assertiveness requires a ‘validity’ mindset – “I am completely entitled to put this point forward” – whilst understanding that others may see things differently, and welcoming those different views.
- Thinking styles. The team has a mix of thinking styles – some are big picture thinkers and others are detail thinkers and the discussion involves contributions from both styles.
- Impulsivity and caution. If the team has some determined, confident decision makers with some open minded, cautious decision makers this can work well – the former wanting to push forward, with the latter making important contributions to identifying obstacles that the former may have overlooked. With respect for the different styles all parties are prepared to listen and modify their instinctive style to make things work.
- Self-awareness. Team members are good at monitoring and modifying their self-talk. They understand they can all jump to conclusions and make assumptions e.g., “he doesn’t like me that’s why he’s opposed to my view” and they challenge this thinking and suspend judgement and assume team members have positive intent until proven otherwise.
- Persistence and discipline. When team members see another team member not playing by the rules, they resist giving up and doing the same. Otherwise, we get the contagion effect where everyone gives up.
- A contribution mindset. Team members do not try to win the argument but rather seek to contribute in order to add to the sum of quality information and a constructive collective decision.
- Self-assured. Team members are sufficiently secure in themselves such they don’t need to win the argument. They focus on the substantive issues and aren’t tempted to make contributions to score points against other team members.
- Assertiveness. Team members understand exactly what assertiveness is and are skilled in it. Some may have a reasonably forthright personality but they understand the need to listen, be patient and at times compromise. They are not consumed by anxiety about what people think of them. They realise assertiveness requires a ‘validity’ mindset – “I am completely entitled to put this point forward” – whilst understanding that others may see things differently, and welcoming those different views.
- Thinking styles. The team has a mix of thinking styles – some are big picture thinkers and others are detail thinkers and the discussion involves contributions from both styles.
- Impulsivity and caution. If the team has some determined, confident decision makers with some open minded, cautious decision makers this can work well – the former wanting to push forward, with the latter making important contributions to identifying obstacles that the former may have overlooked. With respect for the different styles all parties are prepared to listen and modify their instinctive style to make things work.
- Self-awareness. Team members are good at monitoring and modifying their self-talk. They understand they can all jump to conclusions and make assumptions e.g., “he doesn’t like me that’s why he’s opposed to my view” and they challenge this thinking and suspend judgement and assume team members have positive intent until proven otherwise.
- Persistence and discipline. When team members see another team member not playing by the rules, they resist giving up and doing the same. Otherwise, we get the contagion effect where everyone gives up.
What skills, personality traits and mindsets do you see in your team that contributes to good decision making?
