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We’re in the final stages of designing a new course on decision-making, and it brings to mind the inextricable linkage between decisions and courage. At all levels of organizations, leaders and team members often fall short when it comes to decisions. They fail to make them, they fail to own them, and they fail to share in them. But being a successful leader and a valued team member requires that you summon the conviction related to decisions. Here are three ways in which you can do that and why courage is so important.
Making decisions – Being a leader means making decisions, such as on direction, people, projects, priorities, and investments. Over the years, I’ve seen too many leaders – aspiring and current alike – who have been afraid to make the decisions necessary to their roles. They play it safe, focus on preserving the status quo, or look to those around or above them to make the tough calls. They do so out of a fear of being wrong or being disliked. As a consequence, they fail to seize market opportunities, ignore situations where team members aren’t cutting it, or forge on with projects that should be re-directed or stopped. As a consequence, they get outshone by others who are finding the courage to make these tough decisions when required.
To strengthen your decision-making skill and will, start small, make a regular practice of it, and progressively work your way up to making bigger decisions. Familiarize yourself with decision-making frameworks. Our course, as an example, will be based in part on the book Smart Choices, by John Hammond, Ralph L. Keeney, and Howard Raiffa. To make sure you’re not shying away or missing something, ask others what decisions they’d be contemplating if they were in your shoes. Over time, making decisions as needed will become more natural, and your comfort level will continue to grow.
Owning decisions – Once you’ve chosen a path, drive it to the best of your ability and continuously monitor how it is going, with a willingness to adapt as needed. Inevitably, not all of your decisions are going to go the way you’d hoped. Some of that may be a result of factors beyond your control, like macro-economic conditions or broader issues within your company. Other times, it may result from poor execution on your part or on the part of your team. When these situations occur, you need to stand by the decisions you’ve made and own them. Don’t play the blame game, such as by thinking or saying, “They made me do this” or “My team let me down.” Focus instead on how to make the best of the situation as it’s playing out, seeking new and updated information where possible, and adapting as needed. This could ultimately involve making course corrections, reversing yourself, or shutting something down entirely. Even in cases where your decisions prove to be wrong, maintain accountability for them and learn as much from the situation as possible.
By the way, this is also true of decisions your team makes. You’re responsible for their actions, so take ownership for them and resist the temptation to throw your team under the proverbial bus.
Sharing decisions – In addition to our role as leaders, as team members we often participate in the decisions being made by our peers, managers, or organizations. It’s easy in such situations to think to ourselves, “Well, it’s their decision” and not embrace it ourselves. In these instances, we need to view these decisions as ones that we co-own and put our utmost into helping make them a success. Don’t distance yourself from them, just because you didn’t make them, and don’t undermine them, whether out of the gate or when problems arise. I’ve seen this behavior even at the executive level, and it’s not reflective of being a good teammate. Does it mean that you have to agree with every decision made? No, but it means you need to be an active contributor to the decision – don’t spectate. Ask probing questions, offer experience and advice, and view the decision just as if you owned it yourself. And once it’s made – again, even if you don’t agree with it – you need to support it. This is what being a good colleague is about. Don’t play the politics of “their failure is my gain.” Your manager and teammates need better from you.
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If you can demonstrate the courage to make, own, and share in decisions, you'll be well on the way to separating yourself from the pack. So reflect on your decision-making strengths and areas for improvement, develop a plan for sharpening your skills, and start working on it today.
JR and the PathWise team
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