Deciding vs. Influencing: The Clarity Your Team Wants (The Six Decision-Making Styles)
By Ethan Nash
“The greatest problem in communication is the illusion that it has been accomplished.”
Your employees are usually fine with how decisions get made as long as they know what style you are using. Are they deciding or are they influencing?
The angst shows up when employees think they are deciding, but they were really just influencing, and no one said that out loud.
A common scenario:
“Hey team, we need to make XYZ decision today, so let’s talk about it.” [discussion happens] “Okay, thanks for your input. I’ll consider all of this and let you know what I decide.”
See the issue? The manager was deciding. The team was influencing. But the manager framed it as a joint decision. And now the team feels blindsided. No bueno.
Employees simply want clarity:
Are we deciding together? Or are we influencing your decision?
This clarity at the start of a discussion goes a long way in building engagement. Clarity is kindness.
One tool I use with teams is understanding six different decision-making styles. When everyone speaks the same decision language, discussions become more efficient and far less frustrating.
You can literally say: “Team, we need to talk through XYZ, and let’s use a Style 4.”
Here are the six styles, with the big idea that healthy leaders use all of them at different times:
Style 1: Decide and Tell The leader makes the decision with no input. There is nothing wrong with this. No one wants to work for a manager who needs input on every little thing.
Style 2: Almost Decide, Seek Input, then Decide The leader has a leaning but checks with the team before finalizing. “I’m thinking of going this direction, but before I decide, what might I be missing?”
Style 3: Seek Input, then Decide The leader stays open-handed, gathers input, and then decides. This gives the team influence while keeping clarity on who owns the call.
Style 4: Vote The group decides. Bagels or donuts? 8:00am or 9:00am? Plenty of decisions fit this style perfectly.
Style 5: Consensus The group works toward a decision everyone can support. Not everyone needs to get 100 percent of what they want to officially reach a consensus, but everyone can live with the decision. When done well, consensus builds alignment and shared ownership.
Style 6: Delegate the Decision The leader hands the decision to a group, sub-group, or individual who then chooses how they will make it.
Bottom line: Be explicit about who is deciding and who is influencing, and use your judgment to find a healthy balance across all six styles.