Being decisive is a values business asset, especially for leaders and founders of businesses. For good reason – indecisiveness can kill businesses, projects and sometimes people. It’s the topic of much research and writing.
I’m currently enjoying “The Little Black Book of Decision Making: Making Complex Decisions with Confidence in a Fast-Moving World”, kindly gifted to me by its author Michael Nicholas. I can’t really add to that discourse. But there are 2 principles that have served me and the leaders that I’ve worked with well:
- Borrowed from Agile, leave the decision to the last responsible moment. This is not procrastination, but a conscious pause. It prevents endless cycles trying to make a decision that doesn’t yet need to be made, or deciding before time and info are available to make a better decision. Be intentional with this – it’s not a cover for procrastination!
- Where the decision is really tough, it’s usually because I don’t know enough to differentiate between the merit of the outcomes. At that point, I’d rather make the decision quickly and shift my focus to making the best of the decision I’ve made. I’ll spend my energy on the execution rather than the decision. And accept it may be easier to change course if needed once I’m in motion.