#WednesdayWisdom with Michael Gray - Decision Making in Uncertain Times
Michael Gray
Michael Gray, a Former Hotelier and now proud spokesman for the world of Hospitality has written us a blog on 'Decision Making in Uncertain Times'.
My star sign is Gemini. We are known to be very indecisive. Geminis say : “I used to be indecisive, now I’m not so sure!”
So asking a Gemini to talk about decision making is……. interesting!
The good thing is we’re not alone and we share with some pretty big decision makers in history:
President Kennedy; Queen Victoria and I should also mention another Gemini…….…Donald Trump!
One of the biggest challenges with decision making today, is the uncertainty of the whole environment, both business and day-to-day living, due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
We are currently so reliant on decisions by others who lead and advise, who themselves are sailing in unchartered waters, facing totally unprecedented situations.
So in such uncertainty, we can only try to apply a “common sense” approach after a careful study and interpretation of the rules and guidelines made available to us.
But of course the buck stops with the Boss, who is expected to know all the answers and will be expected to make and issue those decisions……that’s when it can be pretty lonely up there!
But don’t try to do it alone.
So, it is important to have a “balcony view” of the situation. The big-picture. To try to step-back and assemble in your mind all the facts and to listen to others in your team, who may have additional vital information to share and to contribute to the “jigsaw” of incoming information and data.
Sometimes in my experience, the best ideas have come from the most unlikely of sources.
I well remember one problem, totally F&B related, for which a decision was needed, was solved not by anyone in the F&B team, but by our Engineer. So looking outside of the normal confines of responsibility for a problem, can produce great outcomes.
And talking of seeking outside advice, leads me to recommend two great books, that for me are “must reads”.
Turn the Ship Around by David Marquet, tells the story of how the Author, when Captain of a US Navy Nuclear submarine, totally turned decision making on its head, but creating a bottom-up approach and decision making culture, instead of top-down orders, whereby the junior ranks would make recommendations or intentions, to the senior officers and the Captain. He found that by empowering those with such responsibility…and trust…led to greater efficiency and better decisions.
Rebel Ideas by Matthew Syed, is also a brilliant account of how the best decisions, evolve from teams, that are really diverse in experiences and can therefore benefit from very different skill-sets, born of very different exposures, both from their lives in general and from differing past workplace knowledge.
The recent Seat at the Table Campaign, to seek support for the appointment of a dedicated Minister of Hospitality in the Government, whilst the Campaign was prominently led by Robin Hutson, the hotelier who has created The Pig Hotels, it was two trainees, Lydia Rigby and Freya Morton, to whom Robin delegated the considerable organisational tasks, that became prominent in the Campaign.
Robin’s decision to not seek the limelight, but to give this opportunity and support, to two junior team members, would have done so much for their own career development, confidence and responsibility.
It reminds me of a colleague who once said:
“There is no limit to what you can achieve, so long as you don’t mind who takes the credit”
So I have been asked, what was the hardest decision I have had to make?:
Our industry is ALL about the People and so unsurprisingly, it was a very hard decision about a person, a colleague. A career-changing decision. They are the toughest. The decisions you really don’t want to make.
Michael Gray - March 2021
