While I was speaking with an executive this week, he complained that his team regularly asks him to make decisions for them. He doesn’t want to do that. He has a process. He asks them to:
- name the three best alternatives they have considered.
- explain their thinking.
- tell him which one they think is the best.
Usually, they can say which one is the best. And? They still don’t do it.
Why is that? One of the most important things an executive has to do is make decisions. Make many decisions. We assume that making decisions is something that distinguishes leaders. Still, we have no training in making decisions other than the school of hard knocks. So, as we promote our way to being executives, we come up with templates like T squares with one side for pros and one side for cons. Then we weigh the items on each side and see which has the higher value. Or we analyze the probability of success and failure for each option. All good ways to get to a decision.
In Vistage, we talk about making better decisions. We dig down into the emotions behind each choice. We dig into the assumptions of why that choice is a good one. We examine the beliefs behind the choices. You must get down to the beliefs that are keeping you from making a decision. You will not change your behavior unless the beliefs they are based on change.
Let me make it easier: Look at the cost in time and hours of not making a decision. The higher the cost, the more you need to make a decision. Even a relatively safe decision that you think has an 80% probability of success still has a 20% chance of failure. Sometimes, you just have to take a risk.If you are still struggling, a good question to ask is “by when should this decision be made?” If you have a month, you can put it aside and let your subconscious noodle it around. If it should have been yesterday, or a year ago you can’t put it aside.
The nasty bottom line is that even the best decisions may result in failure. Don’t let desire for perfection keep you from making the decision. Give it your best shot and move on.
What is one decision that you have been putting off? Get to it this week!
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