Kevin Harris
Management Services Committee Member
Walco Electric Co.
Providence, Rhode Island
Does this ever happen to you? Someone comes into your office and catches you in a busy moment. They ask if you mind if they alter some paperwork or a process, and it seems so innocuous that you give them the green light and wave them away.
Then a few days later, there is a complete uproar because someone downstream from the new changes has been affected in ways you didn’t predict. They are mad at you for making a decision without consulting them, and it’s messed up their process.
Every decision, good or bad, causes ripples throughout the company, and unless you consider the outcome of your actions, you may be doing more harm than good. It is important to “manage the ripples.”
That doesn’t mean to say that we should second guess every decision we make, but in certain circumstances, it is sometimes necessary to pause and consider involving other stakeholders in the discussion before making a final decision. This will also weed out the people who are coming to you because they want to manipulate a situation to their benefit. Or the individuals who want to slip something in that they know the rest of the crew would not approve of.
By being aware of the intricacies of how your organization operates and questioning the motives of some requests brought to you, it will lead to a more harmonious relationship between the various departments within your organization.