“Whenever you see a successful business,
someone once made a courageous decision.” ― Peter F. Drucker
Decision-making is hardly easy for all of us. Since no one can be totally certain of the outcome of the choices we make, coming up with a decision can often feel like a leap of faith. The burden of making a decision becomes doubly harder if you are a leader. The risks of making the wrong choices are higher as you worry about how your judgment can affect your team. Still, the task of making a final say on a particular matter is not something you can delay or put aside. To be an effective leader, you need to have the courage to take on the challenge of making decisions and taking full responsibility for its outcome. Fortunately, there are always things you can do to increase the chances that your decisions can positively benefit your team. The following are some suggestions:
Be well-informed.
Making quick judgment is not something that wise people and leaders do. Instead, they take their time in gathering facts and information first so they can assess the best approach to deal with any situation. So whenever faced with a difficult decision to make, ask yourself first if you are well-informed about it. Among other things, you need to carefully weigh the pros and cons of the actions you’re about to make. You also need to analyze a situation from different angles and sides.
Seek advice.
The decision-making process can be stressful and confusing but leaders do not have to face this hard task alone. As a leader, you can clear your mind and ease the burden by seeking advice and recommendations from trusted mentors. Likewise, you can always ask for opinions and suggestions from your group members. By listening to the insights of others and considering their recommendations, you can easily get the full picture of a situation and come up with a smart decision.
Envision the worst scenario.
Great leaders decide with their eyes fully open to all the possible consequences that could follow as a result of the choices they’ve made. This is why it is essential to take a look at the worst possible things that can happen if ever their judgments turn out to be wrong. Doing this can increase your confidence in making decisions because you will have time to prepare for contingency measures that can help you cope with anything that can happen.
Keep your goals and values in mind.
As a leader, there are a number of things to remember when you are about to make a major decision. Two of those things are your goals and your values. You want to keep your objectives in mind because every decision you make should help a team move towards the goals. Also, you do not want to jeopardize the values that you and your group hold in making decisions because it may just cause conflicts later on.
Are you ready to be an effective leader? This is a task that will require you to wear many hats and one of those is to be a wise decision-maker. It may be nerve-wracking to be the one to have a final say on matters, but with intelligence and courage, you can ensure that every decision you make will prioritize your team’s best interests.
