Thursday, April 30, 2020

TBU: True But Useless- Avoid at All Cost When in Decision Making Mode


The COVID-19 response requires collaborative meetings and fast decision making.  

Over the last several months I have participated (both internal and external to my institution) in multiple meetings and have witnessed a broad spectrum of managerial styles and results.

As is well known, an effective meeting requires an agenda, clear actions items, a mediator to effectively guide the discussion and an underlying respect for staying on time.

A major threat to effective decision making is TBU (True But Useless) information, as coined by the brothers Chip and Dan Heath in the book Switch. TBU is a saboteur of efficiency and clarity as it clutters both focus and facts that lead to a decision.
 
Minimizing TBU in meetings requires a disciplined and aware mediator who both politely and consistently redirects the discussion back towards immediate relevance. The rest is noise.

Avoid TBU.