“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.”
― Robert Frost
Choices are very important in leadership. Making the wrong choice costs money and potentially damages the organization. The burden is on the leader for making effective and wise choices.
Not making a decision is a choice. Sometimes, paralyzed by the gravity of the choice, leaders stall and can’t decide. Not making a choice is certainly a choice.
What’s the impact of the decision on the organization?
What’s the impact of the decision on relationships?
What’s the impact of the decision on revenue…customer satisfaction…client engagement…stakeholder involvement…?
Asking these questions before making a decision helps leaders recognize the consequences of the decision.
Maybe asking those questions before not making a choice would be good, as well.
Making wise, informed choices is the duty and delight of the leader. Making poor choices can cost a lot more and, certainly, waiting to make a decision increases the cost or impact of the problem to the culture or to profit as the situation gets worse.
The most difficult of choices typically centers on people issues, such as when to terminate the employee, when to give a salary increase, when to correct their behavior, when to challenge a nonparticipating board member, etc. Each of these scenarios causes leaders to shy away from confronting controversial issues.
Pay the upfront cost and deal with the situation as soon as practical. That might be before you get the chance to confront someone on an issue. Waiting only complicates things and provides an opportunity for the conflict, if that’s the issue, to get worse. A small matter becomes nuclear over time.
Delegate action items so you can free up your schedule and your mind to think effectively about complex leadership decisions.
To decide or not…that’s the question.
Brainpower with Nina Sunday
OS 123: How to Marry Creativity and Business Acumen
OS 122 Super Charge Your Profits with No Bid Federal Contracts!
OS 121: Scale Your Business by Following Evan’s C.A.S.T.LE. Methodology
OS 120: Ed Krow on Leadership
OS 119: Know, Like and Trust and Other Sales Lies
OS 118: 5 Leadership Myths That Kill Entrepreneurial Ventures
OS 117: 5 Top Challenges for Today's Leaders
OS 116: Complexity vs Simplicity
OS 114: Being Emotional versus Logical Thinking
OS 113: Excellence vs Mediocracy
OS 112: Equality VS Excellence in Diversity
OS 111: Leaders, Set Your Standard of Excellence
OS 110: Running and Leadership - Accountability
OS 109: Running and Leadership - Focus
OS 108: Running and Leadership - Getting Fit
OS 106: Running and Leadership - Goals
OS 106: Running and Leadership - Commitment
OS 105: Tradition vs Change
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The Commercial Edge: Unleash the Power of People
The emPOWERed Half Hour
HCI Leadership Revolution
Human Capital Leadership
The Power of Music Thinking
BusinessWISE
Business Wars