Indecision…
“The risk of a wrong decision is preferable to the terror of indecision.”
Maimonides: Medieval Philosopher
Last week our new sofas arrived, after an embarrassingly long time of indecision! I (Ruth) have often wondered how something seemingly so simple and, in the grand scheme of things, so insignificant, can have taken such a ridiculously long time to make a decision about!
It has been estimated that the average adult makes around 35,000 remotely conscious decisions a day[1]. Granted, a huge number of these will be inconsequential decisions such as whether to hit the snooze button for an extra 5 minutes in bed, what to cook for dinner or even what sofa to buy. However, any leader will know that each day they are required to make many decisions, a vast proportion of which are far from inconsequential.
It is a weighty responsibility to know that your decisions can have a profound impact on another’s life or on the team or organisation you lead, for good or for ill. The fear of making the wrong decision, or a poor decision, can lead us to inertia or unhelpful delay, but as the quote highlights, indecision brings its own terror. Amongst other things, not making decisions can cause confusion, uncertainty, increased mental load, missed opportunities and worsening situations.
So how do we embrace decision-making as leaders in a way which considers movement and action alongside responsibility and care? Here are a few thoughts to help you:
1. Be clear about your vision, purpose and values and ensure any decisions made are in line with those.
2. Don’t go it alone – bring in other people who have different perspectives, skills and experience who can highlight things you might not be aware of.
3. Identify what information you don’t yet have but might be important to obtain.
4. Avoid either/or thinking and instead, generate as many options as possible.
5. Try and discover and assumptions you may be making. Beware of biases!
6. Use the 10-10-10 rule[2] – when facing various choices consider the consequences of your decisions in different timeframes, for example in 10 minutes, 10 months, 10 years, in order to give you valuable perspective on impact.
7. Consider the impact of your proposed decision on various stakeholders.
8. Give the decision space to breathe and be refined before it is finalised.
[1] Bad Moves – How decision making goes wrong, and the ethics of smart drugs, Sahakian and LaBuzetta, 2013
[2] 10-10-10: A Life-Transforming Idea, Suzy Welch, 2009
Questions for reflection:
Do I tend towards being too hasty or too slow in making decisions?
What is behind that tendency?
What are 1 or 2 things I can do to embrace my responsibility as a leader to make decisions responsibly, carefully and in a timely manner?