Map the Inner Circle, Not Just the Org Chart
- JD Solomon
- 14 minutes ago
- 2 min read
Complex technical decisions are rarely made by one person. There is simply too much information and too much uncertainty for a single decision maker to process objectively. That is why group effects, not individual personality, decide the fate of your biggest recommendations.
The Project That Died Anyway
A utility once had a strong case for a gas-to-energy project. Financials worked, the community supported it, and permitting was easy. And the CEO loved it. Two weeks later, the project was dead. One executive had quietly signaled discomfort, and the CEO would not move forward without that person fully on board.
Find the Real Advisor in the Inner Circle
Understanding the decision maker's personality is not enough. We need to understand the personality profiles of the decision maker's inner circle and how that group behaves under pressure. Before your next major recommendation, identify who the decision maker actually turns to when things get uncertain.
That person is not always the one with the senior title. Watch who gets consulted in the hallway before the meeting, not just who speaks during it.
Factor in the Organization’s Weather
Next, read the short-term organizational weather. An executive team facing a budget freeze or a recent crisis will treat the same technical recommendation differently than one operating in calm conditions. Oftentimes, the person with the most influence will change depending on whether the ship is in a storm or sailing on a calm sea.
The Tip
The tip is to map the decision maker’s inner circle. Seldom are big decisions made without the strong influence of one or two people in the inner circle. Avoid being fooled by the org chart or by the idea that every decision is made under the same conditions.
The second “S” in FINESSE stands for Synergy.
Solomon, J. D. (2022, June 21). Synergy: Why group effects matter most when facing complexity and uncertainty. Communicating with FINESSE. https://www.communicatingwithfinesse.com/post/synergy-why-group-effects-matter-most-when-facing-complexity-and-uncertainty
JD Solomon is the founder of JD Solomon, Inc., the creator of the FINESSE Fishbone Diagram®, and the co-creator of the SOAP criticality method©. The elements of the FINESSE Fishbone Diagram® are Frame, Illustrate, Noise reduction, Empathy, Structure, Synergy, and Ethics.
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