Each of us is faced with an incredible number of decisions, large and small, consequential and inconsequential every single day. Deciding for ourselves and deciding for others
Sometimes it feels as if there are days when we were trying to navigate a fragile vessel through an asteroid belt without getting clobbered before we've found our way to a safe landing.
Decision making comes more naturally to some of us than to others, but the one thing that we all seem to share is that the more the perceived significance of the decision (to us, and about those whom we care), the more of a challenge making a choice between alternatives becomes.
Some of us ruminate over the choices, while some of us become either paralyzed or ostrich-like, hiding our heads in the sand. Making substantial broad-reaching decisions among alternatives quickly, with a sense of commitment to our ultimate choice (whatever that choice may be) is one of the greatest skills of leadership.
While in the seat of command, you will instill a sense of confidence in your wisdom, personal power, and your overall ability to lead amongst your employees, recruits, troops, followers or even colleagues if you willingly, rapidly evaluate choices and make decisions as if they were royal pronouncements. Either you will ultimately have been right, or wrong, but no matter -- you will have exercised the courage and conviction to walk into fearsome circumstances.
If you are very conservative, if you are more frightened of the consequences of decisions than of the definitive act of expediently setting a course, you will lose your respect and standing as a leader.
Indecision is indeed the enemy of leadership.
We are are very much like children, wanting someone else to take responsibility for decisions for fear that they might be wrong -- but the person who gets the respect is always a decider.
There is neither movement nor progress when decisions are delayed or avoided by a titular commander who is afraid to play the world's most high stakes game of multiple choice.
Douglas E. Castle for The Taking Command Blog
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