Confidence and correctness are not connected.
No one wakes up in the morning with the intention of failing during the day.
7 ways to be decisive without being a jerk:
#1. Stick with your expertise.
You better know what you’re doing if you’re decisive. We often succumb to expertise creep. Remember that an expert in one area is ignorant in many areas.
#2. Respect the horses in the barn.
If the barn is full of plow horses, find a field to plow.
Never let the horses you wish you had prevent you from honoring the horses you actually have.
#3. Force yourself to seek advice.
Decisive leaders feel they know when they don’t.
#4. Practice timely optimism.
You need realism when choosing goals and optimism when implementing. An optimistic goal-setter is doomed to disappointment and frustration.
Do a premortem after choosing a goal.
#5. Focus on what, not how.
Don’t be decisive about everything. Decide on what to do. Let competent others decide how to do it.
#6. Take responsibility for disappointing results.
A decisive leader who blames others for failure earns disengagement from the team.
#7. Learn to develop people.
You might slow down a bit and bring others into the decision-making process. It will be good for you and you may develop others.
What decision-making suggestion seems most relevant to you?
What suggestions do you have for decisive leaders?
Did you see Friday’s post? HINGES OF DESTINY: DECISION-MAKING FOR LEADERS
Bonus article: The Effective Decision (HBR)
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This post was previously published on Leadership Freak with a Creative Commons License.
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Photo credit: iStock
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