Last week I started to work with a team of lawyers who are all partners in a firm. It was apparent quite quickly that making decisions in a timely manner and acting upon them was a challenge.
Business leaders and managers face many challenges one of which is the ability to make effective decisions. Information can often be unclear, shifting and ambiguous. Ambiguity can be seen as a natural organisational state. The environment in which leaders and managers operate often generates large amounts of ambiguity through interconnectivity, complexity and dynamic change.
Some of the issues that surfaced when discussing this with the team were:
– The notion that by waiting a bit longer more information may present itself or better information may come along. And the wait continues and no decision is made.
– The inability to make a decision can be frustrating to those that work with you and may result in a negative impact on work and sometimes consequences.
– Indecisiveness can distract you from your work, play on your mind and sometimes lead to stress
– There is the fear that the decision will be the wrong one and you don’t want to be the one to make it.
So what can you do?
– There are times when you just have to make a decision rather than stalling. Delaying the inevitable may be a fear of failing or afraid of consequences if the wrong decision is made. As a leader it is your job to do the best with what you have available and be responsible for the outcomes. You will not always get it right and making mistakes comes with the territory.
– Use your people and their expertise and ask for their advice before coming to a conclusion
– Have confidence in your ability and judgement and use your intuition and gut feeling as well as your head
Love to hear from you. What strategies do you use when it comes to making decisions? How do you handle indecisiveness?
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