Making clear decisions is a critical factor to effective leadership. However, many executives suffer from decidophobia, the fear of making tough decisions. Decisions take courage, and courage means taking intelligent risks to move the organization in the direction of the vision.
It’s important to gather data and perspectives, and you can use several decision-making models to help you do it well. However, once it’s time to make a decision, you need to:
- Be clear.
- Be confident.
- Be honest with yourself.
- Understand your own strengths and development areas.
- Be objective about others too.
While involving others is important, insisting upon consensus can do more harm than good. Consensus decision-making causes people to think their priority is asking others what to do. This lets them off the hook for being accountable, and it doesn’t result in the best decisions. In fact, consensus allows no one to take responsibility for doing the research, fosters mediocrity, and ultimately opens the door to blaming others if something goes wrong.
Every success story started with someone who made a courageous decision. That courageous leader can be you, and your story can start now.
EXECUTIVE LEADER ACTION PLAN
What courageous decisions do you need to make that will advance your vision?
How can you improve the process for making clear decisions in your organization?
Looking for a process to make better decisions for you and for your team? We can help. Schedule a complimentary strategy session with us today to get started!
“Be willing to make decisions. That’s the most important quality in a good leader.”
~ General George S. Patton
