Decision-Making & Problem Solving
Decision making along with problem solving is a very important skill for any leader. Most leaders will eventually face a scenario where they are the key decision maker at some point in their career. It is moments like these that leaders must prepare for. When a leader faces a key decision, they must place their focus on acting responsibly, ethically, effectively, and swiftly. All the while making sure that their decisions are aligned with their own ethical values and the values of the organization they work for. While leaders may be the ones who make a lot of the organizations key decisions, followers and other employees also constantly make decisions of their own. Decision making is a universally important skill, and it occurs in the lives of more than just executives and CEO's. The value in the decision-making competency is that it teaches you to be conscientious and make decisions with all parties’ best interests in mind. As leaders we will constantly be faced with complex problems, dilemmas, and seemingly impossible predicaments, but development of the decision-making competency will leave you properly prepared to navigate these issues.
Decision-Making & Problem Solving in Leadership
I think that the combination of decision-making and problem solving in my own leadership has been quite a learning process specifically over the last two years. Learning how to make decisions and solve problems within an organization is a critical skill for leaders to possess. A little bit over a year ago I was promoted to a position where I had to become the one to make decision and solve problems in the workplace throughout the day. I want to emphasize that there are many decisions, both big and small, that are made at work every day. In my current position, I spend a lot of time organizing and directing other employee’s days. I must frequently make decisions that are in the best interest of the employee, the organization, and the flow of business. I believe that the focus that this program has placed on the competency has dramatically impacted my ability to make decisions with the well-being of all parties in mind. Decision making can seem simple when you are only focused on the immediate benefits that you may receive. However, once you experience an occasion where you are forced to realize how your decisions are affecting other people, your perspective may change. Your scope widens and you gain a new perspective of the effects that your decisions really have. This competency widens our scope and teaches us how to make mutually beneficial and effective decisions that solve complex problems.
Artifact
This artifact is from my time in OGL 320: Foundations of Project Management. I believe that this piece is a relevant display of the decision-making competency because there are many key decisions that must be made by project managers throughout several phases of any project. Which makes decision making an essential skill to any effective project manager. The two main areas that this artifact focuses on where project managers must make decisions is in the planning stage, and in a later phase when managers must navigate through risk mitigation. I learned many lessons about decision making throughout OGL 320: Foundations of Project Management and that is why I wanted to include this artifact in the decision-making competency.
Reflection
Decision-Making & Problem solving and Organizational Leadership
I am firmly convinced that decision-making and problem solving are absolute necessary competencies in the field of Organizational Leadership. As leaders, and frankly just any active member of society, we are faced with decisions both big and small throughout every stage of our day. Decisions on what to wear to work, which route to take, what to have for breakfast, to have coffee or not, what kind of creamer, etc. Regardless of size, we face many decisions throughout our day. A large quantity of the decisions that we view as key decisions happen at work. The purpose of focusing on this competency is to teach leaders how to make decisions and solve problems in a way that is ethical, socially responsible, and effective. I believe that those traits are quite valuable and necessary for any leader, therefore it is quite relevant and necessary in the field of Organizational Leadership.
Personal Growth & Development
I think that problem solving and decision-making are both skills that we constantly develop and improve at. With that being said, I feel like I have consistently improved in my ability to make effective decisions throughout my time in the Organizational Leadership program. I experienced, what I believe to be the most dramatic jump in improvement, during my time in OGL 320: Foundations of Project Management. I think that course was a turning point for me because I finally had a chance to take a course where they laid the foundation for solving problems. They taught me how to prioritize, organize, and solve problems and I certainly could not do that as effectively or efficiently as I can now. Each course after OGL 320 provided me with more creative ways to practice decision-making and problem solving, and it has left me much prepared than I was prior to this program.