As a business leader, you have to make decisions and these decisions effect your employees. Naturally, employees may want to put in their opinion. While listening to your employees, you might feel like they have good ideas and want to implement them. However, it can be hard to sort through the facts and the opinions. If you make decisions based off flimsy reasoning, it could hurt your company. Here are some guidelines for evaluating some of the ideas that come your way:
Content
When you’re discussing an upcoming decision with an employee, pay close attention to the content in what the employee is saying. If everything the employee is saying appeals to your emotions and doesn’t carry any hard facts, then you shouldn’t take too much stock in what they’re saying. However, if an employee presents facts with emotional reasons, it is a good idea to listen.
Charisma
If someone is charismatic, it is easier for them to manipulate people intentionally or non-intentionally. If the employee trying to convince you is charismatic, be cautious about going with your gut reaction. You’ll have to be critical of your own emotions when talking to a charismatic person to avoid making decisions based off the employee’s likability.
Consequences
Before taking too much stock in what an employee is saying, think about what effect the upcoming decision will have on that employee. If it’s a negative effect, then they’re more likely to be biased a certain way and might not present the solid facts. Of course, it’s important to evaluate how decisions will affect employees and recognizing this can help you make a better decision.
Evaluating these things when listening to proposals from employees can help you to make educated, non-biased decisions. Always thank employees for bringing forward suggestions, even if those suggestions are not implemented. If you can, explain the reasons why the company chose to go in another direction.