In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.
-Theodore Roosevelt
The ability (or not) to make decisions can make or break any business leader.
For some, it can be the greatest hurdle to overcome. Many will procrastinate, contemplate all the ‘what ifs’ that might happen…and then …overwhelmed with over thinking, never make any decision at all.
And that decision – no decision – can have long-term negative consequences not only for the leader, but for the organization as a whole.
Good Decisions, Bad Decisions
Sometimes our best attribute can be our worst downfall, according to Stephen Key in Entrepreneur. Paying attention to detail is a great skill, but obsessing over everything can dim your focus. “You can lose sight of the goal at hand,” says Key. “You have to keep pushing!”
No one person ever has all the answers. We’re human. We make mistakes. But leaders are willing to take risks, to follow what they feel is right. And they go with it.
Remember those multiple choice tests in school? Teachers advised to go with your first choice, your “gut instinct”…the answer you jumped to…the one that stood out. More times than not, it was the right answer!
But when you obsessed over the multiple choices, and fretted that it might be this, or it might be that, you could feel yourself getting anxious. And when you changed your choice…after working yourself into a mode of over-thinking…you discovered you chose the wrong answer.
Accept the fact that being nervous is nothing to be ashamed of. But don’t let it stall your ability to make a decision. Remember, even making no decision at all is still a choice – in this case, it’s the choice not to decide.
Decisions…Decisions…Decisions
In Entrepreneur, Darrah Brustein writes about her conversation with Jeffrey Shinabarger, author of Yes or No: How Your Everyday Decisions Will Forever Change Your Life. Shinabarger explains that a person’s decision-making process shows their strengths – and weaknesses.
“The hope is to surround yourself with others that make decisions in different styles to make a more informed and thoughtful choice for moments of tension or transition. When we understand our styles better, we are given the opportunity to invite others from other unique perspectives into our process.”
Everyone comes to their decision in their own way, sometimes using stats and data to assist them, while others simply rely on their ‘gut’ instinct. Some choose lists as ways to reach a decision, while some consult with others to gather a consensus.
No matter which strategy you choose, decision making can have paramount effects on your business. So if you have your own unique way of making choices, how do you know you’ve made a good decision?
Making the Choice
Business News Daily cites Gayle Abbott, president of Strategic Alignment Partners human resources consulting firm, who offers a 4-point strategy when making a decision: After you’ve identified the problem, investigate possible solutions. Then delve into those solutions that would be most likely to solve the problem and then make your decision.
As Jeff Boss writes in Entrepreneur, good decisions have positive effects. They further opportunity. People want to duplicate a good choice, and that’s a sound environment for business.
While it may be difficult at first, your confidence builds as your decisions prove to be the right ones. Sure, we sometimes stumble along the way…we’re human. But discovering that we are capable of making sound decisions gives us a boost that has positive effects for us – and for our business.
Do you have a unique way to come to a decision? Sharing it might help others!
Build the foundation you need to make all your decisions with confidence and clarity…sign up to receive my FREE confidence series right here!
Images courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net
Colleen Slaughter, Proud Executive Coach to the UN World Food Program, the 2020 Nobel Peace Prize Winner
As an Executive Coach for Women in Leadership and Transformational Facilitator, my intention is to help leaders in positions of high influence to understand their worth at a profound level.
Supporting women leaders to truly thrive and step into their greatness, while succeeding in male-dominated industries and spaces is my native genius.
My technique and approach show you how to achieve incredible career success without compromising any part of who you are and what makes you magnificent.