Decide to be Decisive

Decisive action is one of the key capabilities of a respected leader, but it’s often not an instinctive trait. You might have to decide to become decisive.

Feel the fear and do it anyway

The most common reason for indecision is fear. What if I get it wrong? What if the decision I take suggests that I don’t know what I’m doing? Here’s the thing – not making a decision is also a decision. And it’s the one that is most likely to reflect poorly on you. Taking no action with an important decision is almost guaranteed to be damaging. So, however intimidating a decision is, your best bet is still to take action.

Reconcile yourself to the fact that not everyone will like your decision

If everyone feels strongly about a course of action, and you agree with them, then it’s not difficult to take a decision. The tough ones are when there is disagreement amongst stakeholders, and, even more so, when you have to choose between two people’s different ideas. It’s at these times that it can be incredibly tempting to put off a decision. But think about the message that sends – what you’re saying by not choosing either option is that both options are without merit. Trust in the professionalism of your colleagues and don’t drag out the pain; they will respect you more for making a decision, articulating your reasoning and moving forwards.

Work with incomplete data

‘There are 2 types of people in the world – those who can work with incomplete data sets.’

It is important to gather data prior to making a decision but if you’re not sure about what the data tells you or if you can’t get all the data that you need, the research phase can quickly turn into ‘analysis paralysis’.

In order to break the deadlock, start with outlining everything you know and finding the gaps. Now start to plug those gaps with assumptions, e.g. if you know everything except how much the market will grow, see what the outcome would be if it grew by 20%, and then see what the outcome would be if it grew by 5%. What would it take for you to get a favourable outcome? If you’d get a favourable outcome with everything except the most unlikely assumption, then the answer is clearly yes, go ahead. If you’d only get a favourable outcome by every single variable landing in your favour, the answer is clearly no. If it’s not that clear cut, model the possible scenarios and then make your choice based on your organisation’s appetite for risk.

Don’t let collaboration become procrastination

In a world where everyone feels increasingly entitled to have a say in everything, it often feels like you need to consult every possible stakeholder and give them a say in your decision. But collaboration is not the same thing as ‘design by committee’. For all key decisions, there should be one person accountable. If you’re that person, by all means seek input from others, consult the experts, review the data, but then you must take the decision. Just you, no-one else.

Give your decision the chance it deserves

There’s nothing worse than going into a meeting with senior leaders, presenting a decision and having them question it, second-guess it and then kill it. The decision that you have carefully considered and then mindfully taken could well need more explanation than is likely in the middle of a meeting with multiple stakeholders.

To give your decision the best chance of survival, create a succinct summary of the factors that have led you to take the decision and then socialise this with the relevant stakeholders before that crucial meeting. You’ll be giving the stakeholders a chance to understand in detail why what you have decided is the best option and no-one will feel blind-sided. If there are any dissenters, it will also give you a chance to resolve the issue in a structured fashion and not leave you floundering in front of your leaders.

I will leave you with the words of Marilyn Moats Kennedy, ‘It is better to be boldly decisive and risk being wrong than to agonise at length and be right too late.’

Things to do and consider

Do you know what decisions you are accountable for? In learning to be decisive, a great place to start is making a list of all the key decisions that you must make.

Now review each one of them in turn. How long does it typically take you to make the decision? Who do you consult? What data do you gather? Do you really need to consult all of those people? Could you be more efficient?

Finally, for each decision, list out each of the stakeholders who could derail your outcome. Create an engagement plan for how you will socialise your findings with them.