As leaders, you are held to a higher standard than most. You are expected to make good decisions quickly and confidently. If you fail at this, it can spell disaster for your organization or your career and hurt others impacted.
In this post, we will review just a few tips on improving your decision-making process as a leader so that you can become more confident with each choice you make.
Keep a perspective on the big picture.
It’s easy to get caught up in the details and lose sight of what is really important. It’s important to remember that your decisions will have far-reaching impacts on your customers, employees, organization, and even the world around you. Keep your priorities straight by focusing on what is truly important in each situation.
Are you aware of your own biases?
Awareness of your biases is an important step in the decision-making process. It can be easy to dismiss or ignore these biases, but it’s important to recognize them and consider them when making decisions.
Another problem is that many of us are unaware of our biases, so we unintentionally let these biases influence us when making choices. Take steps to learn more about this topic.
And remember, we all love others around us who may share similar viewpoints; however, pulling in people with diverse thoughts, experiences, and backgrounds can help us look at obstacles more inclusively.
The Danger of the Single or Half Story
We give a lot of credit to people we trust.
Because she said it, it must be true.
I am sure “she” didn’t mean to lead you astray, but where did she get the information? One person misunderstands a message, and it starts a flood of misinformation. Or that person might be very clear on what she heard, but was THAT source accurate? So be cautious that you are checking the boxes.
Be open to input from others.
Stay open to input from others. While this may not always be possible since some situations require quick action before a more thorough analysis by all parties involved, we can stay open to input from others.
If you’re making a decision for a group, ask for input from those involved or who can be impacted. This can help you avoid making choices that don’t align with the group’s interests and values.
And remember, those who may disagree with you or have different perspectives than yours may bring to light an obstacle you may have yet to consider.
Schedule a date in the future to check the outcome of your decision. Or, as I call it, SHAKE IT OUT!
We make many decisions daily; some will work out differently than planned. Once you make a major decision, schedule a date to check-in. If you are not satisfied with the outcome of your decision, don’t be afraid to go back to the drawing board. Be willing to reconsider your choices if they aren’t working out for you or others.
Be realistic about what you can accomplish in a given amount of time and with a given amount of resources.
When it comes to decision-making, be realistic about what you can accomplish in a given amount of time and with a given amount of resources. If you’re working on an important project, don’t overcommit yourself by taking on more tasks than are necessary. Make sure that your expectations match the reality of the situation–if not, where will things fall apart?
If there are gaps in your understanding or something seems wrong, ask questions until they are answered satisfactorily.
If you make the wrong decision, learn from it and move on.
When we make a mistake, someone will always remind us of it for years to come. Let it go.
Good decisions are important for leaders, but that takes a good process and practice.
As a leader, it’s important to make good decisions. Your team will look to you for guidance and support when they face challenges in their work. If you don’t have the ability to make good decisions on your own and lead others through those same tough situations, then your team will likely struggle–and so will its performance.
The first step is to understand why decisions are so difficult for most people and then learn how to make them easier.
But it’s also important to remember that good decisions always lead to positive outcomes–but don’t beat yourself up! The key is learning from your mistakes, and improving your decision making skills so they don’t happen again.
Problem-solving can be much easier than we make it. Read and use the downloadable forms in my book WINX – The Problem-Solving Model to Win Exponentially with Customers, Employees & Your Bottom Line. Audiobook, Kindle, Paperback or Hardback. Your choice. Here is the Amazon link. https://www.amazon.com/WINX-Problem-Solving-Exponentially-Customers-Employees-ebook/dp/B0B5JS4CZ8/
If you like the Audiobook version and don’t use Amazon (Audible), shop wherever you buy your audiobooks. And don’t forget to ask at your local library. WINX Audio version just may be available for free!
If we can help you with your problem-solving, people, processes, or purpose (company culture). Or if you need a speaker reach out to us at https://paronegroup.com/contact-us/
