How Decisions Get Made
🤞All the reasons you can't control. And what you can.
The great thing about graphic design is you learn a little bit about a huge range of businesses. I feel like I've gotten a sort of street MBA*. You get a peek at how those businesses really operate from the inside, which is probably not what's in the textbook. I used to have a kind of bias that assumed business decisions got made rationally and logically. But business folks are subject to the same emotional decisions that drive all of us.
Also, as a creative there can be a sense at the outset of a presentation that a large weight of the decision is on your shoulders. And that's partially true. I'm not here to say that the work doesn't matter or have to be good. It absolutely does. I'm here to say that I have seen decisions get made for all sorts of reasons that have nothing to do with the work. And you should keep those in mind.
How decisions actually get made.
The work is really great. This can absolutely be true. It can also be true in addition to any of the items below.
They don’t love love the work, but they really like the ingredients. They might like the strategy or something special about the process. The work can change.
Budget. Sometimes you will know what the budget is, and it saves everyone time and energy. But more and more, people are coy about what they have to spend. They might want to know how much "it would really take," or they might have a small budget they don't want to admit to. Dolla, dolla bill ya'll.
The decision got made before the presentation. I feel like this happens sometimes in the bidding process. Sometimes the decision maker(s) have a desired outcome, but they are required to review three options. They could change their mind, but as we know changing minds is hard. If you were the desired outcome then you're golden, but you won't have any idea.
They don't “like” you. Highly subjective, and you don't have to be a full on asshole, sometimes you just don't vibe. And often it’s not so much that they don’t like you, but that they do like someone else. Or have an existing relationship with someone else.
An internal issue. Usually it's an issue that you can't possibly be aware of. Known unknowns or unknown unknowns.
Someone new is in charge. Someone new is hired and they want to make their mark. New folks are often brought in specifically to create some type of change. This could be good or bad depending on which side of that fence you're currently on. My brother-in-law used to build custom cabinetry for mega yachts. New wife = complete tearout and overhaul regardless of how recently the interior had been redone. A desire for a fresh start is hard-wired.
Very practical reasons. For example, maybe it’s going to be really difficult to transition vendors or platforms or get someone new up to speed. Some logistic that's hard to overcome.
Feel good about your decisions.
So, the takeaway is to feel good about the decisions you make. Go in with work you stand behind, and try to forget about the rest. If it's a big presentation, everyone will postmortem the hell out of it. But it's highly likely there was some unknowable factor at play.
The list above is largely things you don't have control of, but here is the flip side – the things you can do to help people manage choices and decisions in meetings.
K. Nicole Stowe
*I'll let you know if I make special Street MBA certificates. Or LinkedIn badge? 🥸