Manufacturing Excellence - Inspire, Lead and Succeed with DECISIVENESS!

Decisiveness is a characteristic of high-performing men and women. Almost any decision is better than no decision at all. 

~ Brian Tracy

Are you a great decision maker? 

How do you make decisions? Do you have to do a lot of research? Does not having “enough information” hold you back from making timely decisions? Do you make spontaneous decisions based on your gut feeling? Do you ask for input from your employees before you make decisions that impact them? Do you have the reputation as someone who likes to pass the buck when a decision doesn't turn out as it should have? 

We are all different and that's a good thing but I believe it is important to acknowledge how we make our decisions and consider if we can make improvements in this area. When it comes to my decision making skills, I have to say that I’m pretty decisive. When I have to make a decision my natural instinct is to go head and like Nike says "just do it". I mainly rely on my intuition and my gut feeling. Having said that, speed is only good when it is combined with clarity. I tend to be impatient with people who don't make their decisions as quickly as I do but I have gotten a little bit better with that. Over the past couple of years I have learned to appreciate how beneficial it is when I take the time to get the opinion of others first so as not to put the cart before the horse. 

I sincerely believe that our information overload is a decision killer. If you think you have to know everything before you make a decision, you will never make one or by the time you do, it is already too late. With the power of the internet we live in a very fast paced business environment and we have to find a way that combines our sense of urgency with the ability to make clear and timely decisions. 

In the corporate world the lack of decisiveness is, unfortunately, very apparent. Have you ever received an email from someone who also cc’d just about everyone else just to cover themselves? If this is the case in your company, you are most certainly dealing with trust issues throughout your organization. If people are afraid to make the wrong decision, they either avoid it altogether or they try to cover themselves whenever they can. That's simply human nature and that's also the reason why we see so many blame-storming sessions in our corporate environments.  

Decision making skills can be learned but if FEAR rules the emotions, it can really hurt the business and it many cases it has. Fear causes inactivity and it usually takes our eyes of the target. If we become more concerned about ourselves than about anything else, it may be important to discover the basis of your fear. Usually, it is never as bad as it seems. In fact, it has been said that fear can be "false evidence appearing real". Being fearful does not necessarily have to be a bad thing if we are aware of it.  I think we should be fearful at least once a day because this is a sign of progress. If we never feel uncomfortable and nervous about a decision we have to make, it means that we have settled for mediocrity. 

If you want to be a more decisive person you have to first know the difference between the decisions that will make a difference and the ones that won't. Don't be afraid to get constructive feedback from the people around you. They may talk behind your back anyhow, so you may as well benefit from their insights by letting them speak with you directly.

Decisiveness is not only a skill, it is also an attitude. Make the decision to be decisive and you will be!