Made Decisions Flashcards
Can you share a specific decision you made that didn’t turn out as expected? How did you arrive at that decision, and what were the consequences of it not meeting the desired outcome?
Situation: As the Infrastructure and Operations Chief, I managed several overlapping IT vendor contracts causing administrative issues and extra costs.
Task: I aimed to consolidate these contracts into one to simplify management and reduce expenses.
Action: I identified the most competent vendor, initiated contract consolidation, and negotiated with stakeholders.
Result: Unexpectedly, the vendor initially struggled with the expanded workload, causing minor disruptions and short-term costs. I adjusted the agreement and reallocated some tasks internally, gaining vital insights into vendor capacity evaluation, transition planning, and communication for future projects.
Describe a time when you had to make a tough decision with incomplete information. How did you handle the uncertainty, and what did you learn from the results?
Situation: During my time at DHA, I was tasked with migrating around 2,000 legacy VPN gateways to a new solution due to escalating security risks. However, there was a lack of comprehensive data available for these legacy systems, making the challenge more complex.
Task: The immediate need for standardization and security enhancement required making tough decisions with incomplete information regarding the 2,000 VPN legacy gateways.
Action: To address the situation, I employed decisive action and conducted a risk assessment to initiate the transition process. I relied on my intuition and strategic thinking while fostering a collaborative decision-making environment. My approach was outcome-oriented, with a strong focus on enhancing security and standardization.
Result: I successfully achieved a more secure and standardized VPN solution for the enterprise through a data-driven decision-making process. This experience emphasized the significance of flexibility and accountability when handling incomplete information. Moreover, it highlighted the effectiveness of calculated risk-taking in attaining positive outcomes, even in challenging circumstances.
Have you ever made a decision that was initially well-received but later led to unforeseen challenges? How did you manage the situation and take responsibility for the outcome?
Situation: During my tenure as the Chief of IOD at DHA, I identified an opportunity to save costs by consolidating four vendor contracts into a single contract, which was well-received initially.
Task: The responsibility fell on me to negotiate new terms, ensure continuity of services, and oversee the transition from four contracts to one.
Action: To approach this decision, I used critical thinking and relied on data to support my choice to consolidate. However, we encountered unexpected resistance from vendors and faced service disruptions. In response, I adapted to the challenges and took responsibility for finding solutions. I engaged in collaborative decision-making, showing empathy to address conflicts and achieve mutually beneficial terms with the vendors.
Result: Despite the initial difficulties, the consolidation led to significant cost savings and operational improvements. I also learned from the experience and implemented a robust change management process for future endeavors, showcasing innovation. This outcome highlighted the importance of ethical decision-making, strategic planning, and risk assessment in my role as a leader.
Tell me about a decision you made where you had to balance short-term gains with long-term objectives. Looking back, what, if anything, would you have done differently?
Situation: As Chief of the Infrastructure Operations Division at the Defense Health Agency, we grappled with security and standardization issues from end-of-life VPN gateways.
Task: A short-term fix was patching these systems, which would boost security but wouldn’t address the underlying standardization problem.
Action: Demonstrating strategic thinking and decisiveness, I opted for a long-term, data-driven solution, implementing a standardized VPN gateways enterprise-wide.
Result: Despite initial disruptions and resource demands, a display of flexibility, I significantly improved our security posture and operational efficiency, emphasizing an outcome-oriented approach.
Share an example of a decision you made that involved taking a calculated risk. How did you assess the risks and rewards, and what steps did you take to mitigate potential adverse outcomes?
Situation: During the onset of COVID-19, as Chief of Infrastructure and Operations, our organization had to swiftly adapt to increased demands for remote work and virtual healthcare.
Task: The dilemma was deciding whether to significantly expand our IT infrastructure to accommodate these changes.
Action: Utilizing Risk Assessment, Cost-Benefit Analysis, and Data-Driven methods, I evaluated the situation. I leveraged Strategic Thinking for long-term planning and Collaborative Decision-Making to include team perspectives.
Result: I embraced decisiveness and chose infrastructure expansion as a calculated risk, prioritizing outcomes and adaptability. Through future forecasting and accountability, this decision met remote demands and ensured continuous service quality.
Tell me about a time when you made a decision that was challenged by others. How did you handle it?
Situation: As Chief of Infrastructure and Operations during the COVID-19 pandemic, I faced resistance from leadership when transitioning 300 call center agents to remote work to prioritize their safety.
Task: I was tasked with justifying this decision, addressing concerns, and ensuring the seamless operation of our military health system support.
Action: Exercising Decisiveness and Ethical decision-making, I used Data-Driven approaches and Strategic Thinking to leverage Amazon Connect for remote work. By promoting Collaborative Decision-Making, Adaptability, and Innovation, I addressed leadership concerns and demonstrated the benefits of the transition. My decision was a win for my staff and for seamless operations during the pandemic.
Result: Through Critical Thinking, Problem-Solving, and Balancing Priorities, I convinced my team of the decision’s merit. By being Outcome-Oriented, I maintained operational efficiency, took care of my staff, and handled increased service demand, reaffirming our commitment to the military health system.
Have you ever had to make a decision that benefited the organization but was unpopular? How did you manage it?
Situation: As the Chief of IT Infrastructure and Operations Division (IOD), I faced a cybersecurity risk when some users did not update to the mandatory Windows 10 version 21H2, putting our organization’s data and systems at risk of potential breaches.
Task: I had to make the difficult decision to disable non-compliant accounts, knowing this could disrupt work processes.
Action: I leveraged strategic thinking and innovation to launch a comprehensive communication campaign stressing the update’s importance. However, I remained decisive about disabling non-compliant accounts, showcasing a data-driven and risk assessment approach to ethical decision-making.
Result: After the communication campaign, I disabled 4,800 out of 240,000 accounts, leading to a remarkable 98% compliance rate within the Defense Health Agency.
Can you recall a situation where you had to decide between two or more equally important priorities? How did you navigate that?
Situation: As the Regional Health Command-Pacific’s CIO, I faced the challenge of addressing two equally important priorities: managing the transition to the Defense Health Agency (DHA) and fostering a positive work environment.
Task: To effectively handle both priorities, I adopted a “divide and conquer” approach to navigate the situation.
Action: For the DHA transition, I took the lead and focused on conducting a comprehensive risk assessment, identifying key areas that required attention, and strategically planning the execution. Concurrently, I entrusted my deputy and other team members with the task of devising and implementing a policy to foster a positive work environment.
Result: The “divide and conquer” strategy proved successful. We achieved a seamless DHA transition while simultaneously promoting a positive work environment. The team’s dedication and collaboration led to successful outcomes in both areas, showcasing effective crisis management and leadership skills in balancing equally important priorities.
Have you ever made a decision that you later regretted? How did you handle the situation?
Situation: As Chief of Infrastructure Operations Division at the Defense Health Agency, I had to select a technology vendor for a key IT project.
Task: My responsibility was to make an informed, strategic decision on the vendor selection.
Action: I chose a vendor based on available information but later regretted it. When better options emerged from the project outcomes, I took responsibility, adapted, and conducted a post-implementation review, showcasing critical thinking and problem-solving skills.
Result: I addressed the issue openly with ethical decision-making. Through joint efforts, we mitigated the situation, fostering flexibility and improving future vendor selection processes by balancing priorities.
Can you share an example of when you had to decide under pressure?
Situation: As the CIO during the COVID-19 pandemic, I faced a challenge: should our healthcare organization shift to remote work?
Task: This situation called for critical-thinking to balance priorities such as the safety of employees, continuity of services, and overall productivity.
Action: In response, I instigated collaborative decision-making with key stakeholders, applied problem-solving strategies to assess the feasibility of remote work, and embraced data-driven practices based on researched guidelines and health advisories.
Result: Exercising decisiveness, I implemented the shift to remote work. This outcome-oriented action maintained both the safety of our employees and the continuity of services, demonstrating my capacity for ethical and critical decision-making under pressure.
Tell me about a time when you had to choose between two important priorities.
Situation: As Chief of the Infrastructure Operations Division at the Defense Health Agency, I faced a dilemma of strengthening IT security versus consolidating vendor contracts for cost-saving.
Task: Balancing the urgent need to secure our IT infrastructure and the directive to reduce costs posed a critical challenge.
Action: Using Strategic Thinking and Risk Assessment, I prioritized IT security. Employing Decisiveness and Resource Management, I delegated vendor consolidation tasks to a competent team.
Result: Our Outcome-Oriented approach fortified our IT systems and made significant progress on cost-saving, highlighting the power of Balancing Priorities and demonstrating Accountability in decision-making.
