Quick Decision-Making with Influence

The art of responsiveness isn’t based on how quickly we can reply. There are plenty of people I respect deeply who don’t provide an immediate answer when I reach out. However, those folks have intentionally invested into our relationship - just like I have - in a way that’s built grace. When our schedules align, we pick up where we left off by working through any open discussion items prior to jumping into anything new. Since listening to one another over time has built such a solid foundation, we’re each able to respond based on the other’s most pressing need.

But even in times where a complete response may come days or weeks later, there’s always a prompt acknowledgement of each item and purposefulness in how it’s added to an open action register of sorts. This builds mutual respect in the relationship, and we’ll look more at investing in responsive relationships soon, where weakly ducking an issue at all cost erodes that foundation until nothing of substance remains. This simple acknowledgement, even when there’s no time for a complete response, increases influence - both ways.

When we’ve invested, time and time again, into the listening required to establish the proper foundation, we’ve developed a reputation for being responsive with each team member counting on us for leadership, and we’ve effectively adapted to our teams’ needs - be that individually or for the group as a whole - we honing the skills necessary to practice the art of responsiveness. With the influence we earn through that process, we’ll often have opportunities for quick decision making.

I recently bumped into a friend and business associate who’s had a crazy schedule over the last several months, even more so than the normal packed schedule he juggles as a business owner. We actually saw one another at two different events in the same day. During the second, he and I had 10-15 minutes off to the side to catch up on a couple of outstanding items I had sent messages to him about. While none of those were earth-shattering, they represented thousands of dollars of work for each of us and each played a crucial role in how our businesses serve one another. Because such a strong foundation has been in place for years, the influence we had each earned with the other enabled swift, effective decisions to be made. And while there was no pressure in that particular situation, it would have made little difference.

In contrast, that same day I bumped into one of the executives I mentioned before who placed the explicit expectation on my friend and his team to respond to any incoming message within 48 hours. I hadn’t seen him in nearly twelve months, with my last outreach to him being just days shy of eleven months prior - one that had also not been acknowledged. When seeing me, his greeting was nearly as warm as the friend with legitimate reasons for delayed responses. I’ll let you guess how I received his disingenuous attempt at schmoozing me in a group setting…

If there’s mutual investment into responsive relationships, influence builds so that tough decisions can be made quickly when necessary. When responsiveness is one-sided, any influence that may have been in place at one time can be (and likely will be) lost. Before we look at how we can purposefully invest in responsive relationships, I’ll challenge you to make a list of the relationships you currently have where you’ve earned the kind of influence necessary for quick decision-making.