Don’t you just hate indecision? Painfully waiting for a decision or a direction from a leader that is ‘thoughtful’ or ‘thorough’ can just be excruciatingly painful. While the decision or direction is painfully obvious to everyone else, the indecisive leader wants to explore their options more, before giving the go ahead. This type of decision maker is more common in today’s business environment than ever before. They can cripple the competitive edge and viability of their organization. They leave a wasteland of missed opportunity and frustrated employees across the landscape of an organization. What makes a great decision maker?
Decision Making Is a Crucial Skill
The fact is, a solid and dependable decision maker is just the epitome of a great leader. Whether you like it or not, you must be able to make informed and ethical business decisions in a manner that gives your organization a strong competitive edge. If you hesitate or delay, you may lose the competitive edge and ultimately lose the financial viability required to compete. Here are some key traits of an effective decision maker:
- Confidence – It is the key to success! Be confident in everything you do. Be confident in your ability and the credibility of your business. Confidence is contagious.
- Be Bold – Just pull the trigger and make a decision. Never be concerned about what others will think or say. Hesitation kills!
- The Value of Failure – Confident decision makers do not worry, even for a second, about failure. They understand that failure is part of everything they do and they embrace it! When you fail, you learn. There is high value in the process.
- Be Competent – Build your knowledge base every day! You must be extremely proficient in the technical aspects of your business. Spend at least an hour every day on education and self-improvement. Technical knowledge gives you confidence when making decisions.
- Flexible Collaboration – A confident decision maker is also one that can collaborate well with others and demonstrates the ability to be flexible. You must be able to see the turn coming, make a decision, then make the turn without hesitation. A strong decision maker is not a dictator, but a great collaborator.
There Is Great Value in Strong Decision Making
A strong and confident decision maker can bring great value across all platforms of an organization. Strong decision making is not about holding court or having a dictatorship. Just the opposite. The environment a strong decision maker occupies is about strength, confidence, collaboration and teamwork. A great decision maker is constantly communicating with others, listening and learning. They are open to the ideas of others. This is where they find the ability to make decisions quickly and firmly. Strong decision making is an invaluable skill to leaders at all levels of an organization. Just pull the trigger and start making sound and confident decisions.
