In the world of leadership, decision-making is a critical skill that can make or break a team’s effectiveness. Jon Fasoli, a featured guest on the Supermanagers Podcast by Fellow.app, dives deep into the art and science of making impactful decisions. He sheds light on the concept of absolute versus relative decisions, offering practical insights for leaders striving to elevate their decision-making frameworks.
Absolute Decisions: A Deceptive Comfort
Jon introduces the idea of absolute decisions as ones that feel definitive but lack a foundation of meaningful trade-offs. For example, a leader might simply approve or reject a request—like adding team members to a project—without explicitly evaluating the broader implications. These decisions often feel decisive in the moment but fail to address the deeper context or consequences.
He describes these as “fake decisions” because they don’t account for the nuances and trade-offs that are critical to effective leadership. Absolute decisions can bulldoze teams, forcing them to reprioritize on the fly without clarity or alignment, creating unnecessary chaos.
Relative Decisions: A Framework for Clarity
On the other hand, relative decisions embrace trade-offs and prioritize transparency. Jon explains that the best leaders refuse to accept or make decisions unless the trade-offs are clearly articulated. By highlighting the comparative impacts of options, relative decisions ensure a more thoughtful and deliberate approach.
However, making these decisions isn’t always straightforward. Teams often face “apples-to-oranges” comparisons, like weighing a large, ambiguous initiative against a smaller, tactical task. To solve this, Jon and his team developed the BUILD Method—a systematic approach to categorize decisions into “big,” “medium,” or “small” priorities.
The BUILD Method: Categorization for Efficiency
The BUILD Method simplifies decision-making by organizing priorities into comparable categories:
- Big vs. Big: Strategic, high-level decisions are compared against one another.
- Medium vs. Medium: Operational decisions are weighed at a middle level.
- Small vs. Small: Tactical decisions are handled on the ground level.
Each category is managed independently, ensuring that leaders evaluate similar-sized trade-offs. When a decision is brought to the table without explicit trade-offs, it’s an opportunity for coaching: leaders can ask their teams to define the trade-offs or collaborate with other stakeholders to gather the necessary data.
This method fosters faster and more authentic decision-making, empowering teams to act with clarity and alignment.
A Practical Example of Relative Decision-Making
To illustrate the power of relative decisions, Jon shares a real-life scenario.
One morning, his leadership team faced a decision about a project for an international market. The project was perfectly aligned with their strategy, making the answer an obvious “yes.” But instead of approving it outright—a typical absolute decision—they considered the trade-offs.
Using the BUILD Method, they pulled up a prioritized list of current projects and discussed where the new initiative fit within that context. The team concluded it was the third priority, clearly outlining what existing work would be deprioritized to make room. This approach avoided creating a “fire drill” for the organization, ensuring a smooth integration of the new project.
Key Takeaways for Leaders
Jon’s insights underscore the importance of thoughtful decision-making for effective leadership:
- Avoid Absolute Decisions: These often lack depth and can lead to inefficiencies or unnecessary stress for teams.
- Embrace Relative Decisions: Prioritize clarity and explicitly define trade-offs to ensure alignment and focus.
- Use Frameworks: Tools like the BUILD Method help leaders manage complexity and make decisions based on data-driven discussions.
By adopting relative decision-making, leaders can foster transparency, empower their teams, and drive meaningful progress without unnecessary disruption.
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