The quality and speed of leadership decision-making is a key concern, with research indicating that many leaders struggle to make high-quality decisions quickly. As an executive leadership coach, I’ve seen firsthand how indecisiveness can hinder progress and success. Here are seven proven strategies to sharpen your decision-making skills and become a more effective leader.
Embrace the 80/20 Rule: Focus on the 20% of information that will give you 80% of the insight needed to make a decision. Don’t get bogged down in analysis paralysis.
Tap into Your Team’s Collective Wisdom: Surround yourself with diverse perspectives and expertise. Encourage open dialogue and active listening. Leverage your team’s insights to make well-rounded decisions.
Conduct Decision-Making Drills: Practice making decisions under time pressure. Set a timer and force yourself to choose a course of action. This will help you build confidence and decisiveness.
Embrace the “Good Enough” Mindset: Perfectionism can be the enemy of progress. Sometimes, a “good enough” decision made quickly is better than a perfect decision made too late.
Establish Decision-Making Frameworks: Develop a set of criteria or a decision matrix to evaluate options consistently. This will help you make more objective and defensible choices.
Learn from Decisional Autopsies: After implementing a decision, conduct a post-mortem analysis. Identify what worked well and what could be improved. Use these lessons to refine your decision-making process.
As a leader, your decisions have far-reaching impacts. Embrace the responsibility and challenge yourself to make choices that drive positive change. Your team and your organization are counting on you.
Lead From Within: As a leader you must always want to become a better decision-maker for yourself and others.
#1 N A T I O N A L B E S T S E L L E R
The Leadership Gap
What Gets Between You and Your Greatness
After decades of coaching powerful executives around the world, Lolly Daskal has observed that leaders rise to their positions relying on a specific set of values and traits. But in time, every executive reaches a point when their performance suffers and failure persists. Very few understand why or how to prevent it.
Additional Reading you might enjoy:
- Why Indecision is a Deadly Trait for Leaders: How to Overcome It
- How to Leverage AI for Smarter Decision Making as a Leader
- How to Know You’re About To Make A Bad Leadership Decision
- The 10 Decision That Can Change Your Leadership Life
Of Lolly’s many awards and accolades, Lolly was designated a Top-50 Leadership and Management Expert by Inc. magazine. Huffington Post honored Lolly with the title of The Most Inspiring Woman in the World. Her writing has appeared in HBR, Inc.com, Fast Company (Ask The Expert), Huffington Post, and Psychology Today, and others. Her newest book, The Leadership Gap: What Gets Between You and Your Greatness has become a national bestseller.