I once served as an advisor to a six-hundred-person organization. At one point, the leader, Paul, told me that he needed to select a new manager for his largest department. The person in that position had decided to retire, so Paul was forced to select another person to take the helm. He said to me, "Alan, you know the organization and the people. Who would you recommend as the new department manager?" He added, "Please think about it and give me your recommendation the next time we meet."

As an aside: In situations like this, it is almost always better to give people time to make a thoughtful and thorough recommendation. Rather than forcing me to make a hasty guess with very little forethought, Paul granted me time to consider and weigh the alternatives. His approach conveyed to me that he valued my input and he wanted my best thinking. Good recommendations from SMEs almost always require time to formulate. If decision makers don’t grant you sufficient time to prepare your response, ask for the time you need. Sometimes you’ll be granted more time and other times not, but it never hurts to ask.

As in many organizations, there were a few obvious internal contenders for the position. Several employees had the skills, intellect, and temperament to do a great job as the department head. Instead of lazily recommending one of the obvious choices, however, I seriously considered every possible alternative. I knew Paul would promote from within his existing organization. So, who should it be? I created and reviewed a list of more than a hundred potential candidates. I reviewed their names and qualifications. Whether the person was twenty years old or seventh, whether they had been in the organization for one year or thirty, I considered the strengths and weaknesses of each, individually. The exercise took considerable time, but the process brought me to one clear recommendation. The conclusion was not what I had expected. I settled on a person who was not on my original list of likely contenders, and who was almost certainly not on Paul’s radar.

A week passed and I was scheduled to meet with Paul again. As was always the case, Paul’s agenda was full. After discussing other topics, he turned to me and said, “Alan, when we last met, I asked you to prepare a recommendation for this position. Did you do that?”

"Yes, I did."

"Great, what are your thoughts?"

I knew Paul was expecting me to lay out a few options. He expected me to recite the strengths and weaknesses of three or four people. But I had not prepared alternatives; I had prepared a definite recommendation, and I wanted him to seriously consider it without dilution or distraction. So, I paused, squared myself toward Paul, leaned forward in my chair and touched my fingertips together. I looked him straight in the eye and said, “Paul, after careful and lengthy deliberation, I strongly recommend you consider Naomi as the department manager.” To emphasize my recommendation, I did not utter another word, nor did I change my posture. I remained fixed in place, fingers together, back straight, chin up, eyes locked. There would be no ambiguity in my message.

After several seconds, Paul broke eye contact and gazed at something else in the room, which gave me permission to relax somewhat. He did not speak for several more seconds. When he did finally speak, he did not reassure me with any follow-up. Instead, he said, “I think that about covers it for today. I’ll see you next week.” And the meeting was abruptly ended.

We did not speak about the position again until three weeks later when Paul informed me that he was offering Naomi the position. His only feedback was, “You surprised me when you made the recommendation, but the more I thought about it, the more I understood your thinking. Thank you.”

When you make a recommendation, make it clear and make it with confidence.