Decisive Leaders Make Things Happen!
No one has time for wishy-washy responses – time is money. In all avenues of life, we all have to make decisions all day long – from the moment your eyes open in the morning to the minute they shut before you go to sleep. You start every morning deciding whether or not you are going to get up and go to work, or look for a job – if needed. No matter, a true leader knows that by making no decision is worse than even making a bad decision. A true leader is decisive – he, or she, is willing to make decisions, despite complexity or doubt. Therefore, decisiveness, or being decisive, is the 10th trait of a positive leadership legacy.
“Be willing to make decisions. That’s the most important quality in a good leader.” ~ George S Patton
Think of all the leaders that have left a legacy. Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Ronald Reagan, and the list goes on and on. Each one of these leaders, and others, that have lead and left a legacy all had one characteristic in common – decisiveness. Decisiveness means “Having the power to decide; conclusive; characterized by decision and firmness; resolute; beyond doubt; unmistakable”. (Free Dictionary)
A decisive leader exhibits sound judgment by making informed decisions, recognizes the potential results and consequences of such decisions. They have the ability to make swift and effective decisions, even when faced with limited facts or answers. Also, a decisive leader needs to be proactive, achievement oriented, clear about the goals and values, willing to take risks, yet also willing to take accountability for the outcome of your decisions.
“Everybody’s got an opinion. Leaders are paid to make a decision. The difference between offering an opinion and making a decision is the difference between working for the leader and being the leader.” – Bill Walsh ~ ex San Francisco 49ers Coach.
No one single characteristic makes an accomplished leader – it is a combination of characteristics – but without decisiveness – a leader you do not have. As an old Chinese Proverb says – “A wise man makes his own decisions, an ignorant man follows the public opinion.” A true leader isn’t afraid to make tough decisions and in order to do that they have got to embody a strong decisive character. Charles De Gaulle once said: “One cannot govern with ‘buts’.”; hesitation leads to failure.
“In any moment of decision the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.” ~ Theodore Roosevelt
What’s It Take to Be a Decisive Leader?
Many leaders fail because they do not make decisions when decisions must be made.
To be a Decisive Leader you must:
• Be of sound judgment.
• Have a vision, determination, and the ability to see the steps/solid facts and potential problems that it will take to make it a reality.
• Know your purpose and your values.
• Be able to ask the right questions that motivate fact gathering action to better understand the objectives at hand, analyze the situation, and be able to make the best informed decision quickly.
• Make fast decisions in crisis situations with limited facts.
• Be willing to listen to all points of view, weigh it all out, and then make the final decision to course of action.
• Accept you are human. Give yourself permission to make mistakes, learn from them and move on.
• Be credible, trustworthy, and have a strong follow through.
• Be able to delegate.
What do you think makes for a strong decisive leader? Have I missed anything on my bulleted list? Are you a decisive leader or do you work under a decisive or an un-decisive leader?