How to Break a Bottleneck

The three rules of getting other people to make a decision based on your recommendation are clarity, clarity, and clarity. Often people do such a good job of researching the situation, looking at it from so many different angles, and thinking so deeply and critically about it that they get lost. Making a recommendation is not about reporting what has been discovered. It is about deciding what to do next. The three thumb rules for making a recommendation are: every recommendation that is made must be preceded by a decision made; clarifying the presentation of the recommendation; and asking for a deadline for the needed decision. The chapter also presents a good recommendation template that can help in organizing thoughts into a concise recommendation that resonates with the primary decision maker.