Few things drain energy from a team faster than decision fog…
We once saw a team given the green light to explore solutions to a real customer problem. They did the work properly by speaking to customers, exploring the problem, gathering insights and developing a set of possible solutions.
When they presented their concepts back to the leadership group, some ideas moved forward and others were quickly killed. In many ways, that’s how it should be - not every idea should progress.
The problem was that no-one seemed clear on the criteria. There was no obvious measure for success, no clear decision frame and no transparent reason why one idea had merit while another did not. It felt less like a decision and more like a vibe.
One idea in particular, which the working group believed had real potential, was dismissed almost instantly. When asked “Why?”, the answer was again vague and noncommittal.
Then, a few months later, a press release appeared announcing a version of that very same idea, with the leader who had originally said no now attached to it.
Awkward? Yes.
Unusual? Sadly, not really.
But, the real issue wasn’t with the decision change. It was the fact that no-one was clear about the reasons behind the idea’s shutdown and then the about-face.
This had a direct impact on future endeavours. The next time that team was asked to bring forward ideas, they were slower, more cautious and less willing to share unfinished thinking. Their trust had been weakened, not because an idea was rejected, but because the decision process felt unclear and ownership felt unsafe. The parameters for success were murky, so over-thinking began to reign.
We’ve also seen the opposite effect, where because a team had had such vague parameters in the past, they created very strict criteria for all future endeavours. This resulted in only the safest and smallest of ideas ever getting any traction. Progress happened, but nowhere near that of their competitors or the speed of change around them.
Poor decision-making is one of the hidden ways innovation gets stuck.
If no one knows what “good” looks like, the criteria keep shifting or personal preference dresses itself up as strategy - rather than be bold, people will quietly learn to protect themselves. And that protection often results in stagnation.