Clarity State Decision-Making
Developing the 4G Leader
How does the 4G Leader operate?
The 4G Leader is the newest generation of leaders in organisations. She is characterised by tenacity in action, by being in the thick of things, by being calm in the face of constant change, by being able to lead where others fear to tread. The 4G Leader is able to:
- maintain focus on the key issues affecting her situation
- quickly identify the main objective of her actions
- quantify good success metrics leading to strategic advantage
- take stock of the constraints impacting on her decision
- shift frames of thinking & perception for more innovative solutions
- manage the uncertainty of the situation
- balance emotion with reason
- execute with both precision and flexibility
- communicate decisions effectively
- coach for greater team and individual performance
The 4G Leader's Disposition
Integrity. The paramount trait of the 4G Leader is her integrity. She acts without fear or favour on any subject. She does not lose sight of what is best for the organisation or the situation.
Focus. The characteristic of a 4G Leader is mental focus. She never loses sight of the important elements of a situation. The ability to be present is crucial, no matter how trivial the situation may seem in the face of others. She is also focused on the types of situations that she spends time on. She usually centres on only three or four key types of decisions, delegating the rest for others to handle.
Open. The 4G Leader is open to new perceptions and ideas, regardless of how it sounds in the beginning or from whom it has been proposed. She need not agree with these perspectives, but she will hear them out and weigh them carefully. And she is quick to shift her viewpoint for a more congruent perspective of the situation.
Humility. Although the 4G Leader is highly competent, she is humble in the face of the situation. She does not take her previous successes as a yardstick of proficiency; instead she continuously applies both intuition and rational thinking for all situations. She knows that the right decision is out there and the need to be open is key in identifying it.
Introspective. Regardless of the outcome of her decisions, the 4G Leader pares her decisions down to the crux to assess fit, risk, impact and return. Her openness and humility allow her to always make her decision-making better.
How the Clarity State Decision Making (CSDM) technology develops the 4G Leader
Phase 1: The Clarity State
Getting mental clarity at will is not an apparent skill. 4G Leaders can utilise the techniques of the Clarity State to enter into, and maintain, this clarity. The Clarity State allows her to devote more mental resources to the situation at hand, allowing her to sense the situation better, and come up with better options.
Phase 2: Define the Decision
The Decision Map® is the 4G Leader’s indispensable decision instrument to get a clearer understanding of the situation, defining the decision succinctly on a single page.
Not only is the Decision Map a superb tool for showing up the areas of importance in a situation, it is also an excellent implement for communication. The process of developing the Decision Map allows her to clearly identify the objective of the decision, crafting the success factors in support of this objective; look at all constraints & assumptions as well the options to achieve them. The various perspectives will show up in these options, demonstrating the rigours of thought. It can therefore also be used to coach individuals in their decision-making process, leading to a enterprise-wide capability.
Phase 3: Dealing with emotion
The more complex the decision, the harder it is to make a decision. People and organisations are usually affected by them and this complicates the issue for the 4G Leader. Whereas in the past we were taught that decisions were to be made devoid of emotion, in reality this can seldom be done. The 4G Leader knows how to convert negative emotions into a decision constraint, putting it into the Decision Map, thereby addressing it. This often affords her a shift in perspective, allowing a hidden option to show up an effective solution.
Phase 4: Achieve clarity of perspective
The power of the CSDM technology is its ability to allow the 4G Leader to shift perspectives, giving her the ability to see things from new angles. Armed with many different techniques of perspectives shifting, the 4G Leader will generate many alternative viewpoints. And her open disposition allows her to play with these perspectives in the decision consideration, all the while not losing sight of the crux of the situation. Her decision will ultimately be more balanced, one that will ultimately lead her to the right decision every time.
Phase 5: Align with outcomes
A good decision is judged by its alignment with organisation goals. Yet that is not all. The 4G Leader must ensure that the risks of the decision are mitigated. She knows that she cannot influence the outcome much more than taking the course of action, yet she has already understood the likely outcomes of each decision option. This will allow her to be confident in executing the decision and put in place contingencies for changes in the situation. She is never at a loss for actions because of the Clarity State Decision Making technology!
Note: The female gender is used to represent the 4G Leader in this page. It is used generically for both genders and does not mean that any one gender is predisposed to becoming a 4G Leader. The female gender can be substituted for the male gender in all CSDM contexts.