“It’s not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are.” – Roy Disney
While thoughtful decisions will require you to feel a bit (or more than a bit) uncomfortable, the process not only helps you grow, but creates strong and positive momentum for your company, team, family, and community. Decision-making is a core leadership skill, and the secret or trick is to know yourself.
Thoughtful decision-making requires the following:
1. An understanding of yourself and your value system (clarity here makes all decisions flow).
2. Awareness of the situation and what it means to yourself and others.
3. Input from trusted peers who have different and contrary perspectives.
4. The desire for personal growth as a leader.
5. The willingness to hear the truth when you are in love with an idea or skeptical of it.
6. The keen awareness when you decide that you are ready to “take the ride,” because you will grow and change.
“Do not plant your dreams in the field of indecision, where nothing ever grows but the weeds of “what-if.” – Dodinsky
Decision-making is the beginning of a journey. Even if you choose to do nothing, you are still going to move in a new direction.
“A ship in port is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.” – Grace Murray Hopper
Successful leaders know the responsibility to make decisions is the “ability to respond” and they have learned that the odds are often better to move into the unknown, the undiscovered, the unconventional, and the untried, because the adventure of growth and discovery is far more rewarding than mitigating the risk of staying the same… since nothing stays the same.
“Good decisions come from experience, and experience comes from bad decisions.” – Author Unknown
Once you are clear on your decision and it is in alignment with your value, good change begins to happen. Good decision-making takes thoughtfulness, not time.
“Once you make a decision, the universe conspires to make it happen.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
