This past weekend I watched Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. In one of the last scenes of the movie, the evil archeologist who is pursuing Indiana Jones finds himself confronted with a decision; Which chalice is the “Holy Grail?” Assuming that Jesus would only drink from a rich, spectacular looking chalice at the Last Supper the archeologist chooses an ornate, gold, Vatican-quality chalice from the many displayed in front of him. When he drinks from the chalice he has chosen he turns to dust before our eyes. At which point the centuries old Templar Knight who has been guarding the “Holy Grail says, “He chose… poorly!” (Thank you, Mr. Obvious!)
While you won’t turn to dust if you make a poor decision, success in business – and in life – is predicated on the quality of decisions you make. Each day you are faced with many opportunities to make decisions, both large or small. In fact, making good decisions is part of being a great leader. While most of us will occasionally make bad decisions, there are things you can do to help improve your decision making skills so you can better analyze each situation and choose the best option to move you, and your company, forward.
Avoid Procrastination
It’s tempting to procrastinate on making a decision on account of fear. Fear of making the wrong decision. Fear of what other people might think. Or, fear of losing money. This is particularly true when the decision is a difficult one, or it involves significant risk to you or your company. Emotionally, it can seem easier to put off the decision. However, procrastinating increases the chance you will make the wrong decision. This is because putting it off for later reduces the time you have to review all the relevant information, identify different alternatives, and solicit advice from trusted advisors. Here’s a link to an excellent article from Psychology Today on understanding procrastination.
Seek Feedback and Input
Being in a leadership role does not mean you must make all decisions by yourself, and if you only rely on your own knowledge, you could miss critical information that would help you make a better decision. Identify a small group of trusted advisors, either within or outside of your company, who can help you objectively review the situation, identify alternatives and potential solutions, and choose the best one. Cyrus the Great said “Diversity in counsel, unity in command” and that certainly applies to decision making.
Use a Process
Processes are important to ensure that every step is covered. When you begin without a process outlined, you can easily miss steps along the way that could lead to a less-than-optimal decision or outcome. In addition, a good process gives you the ability to identify the most important criteria for your decision and weight those criteria according to their value, which will help you objectively evaluate the alternatives.
Implement the Decision Well
Even the best decisions, without a good plan for how to implement them, will fail. When you identify the direction you intend to take, stop and outline how the decision will be carried out. Who are the key individuals that must be involved? What is your timeline? Most importantly, identify things that could go wrong with the implementation and how you will prevent or minimize the impact. Most people do not distinguish between a good decision and good implementation. It’s important to have both.
Whether it is in business or life in general, success is often a result of making good decisions. Focusing on improving the process can help make each decision, regardless of how big or small, a bit easier.
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Lou Quinto has been working with companies and their associates internationally for over the past 30 years primarily in the area of critical thinking, leadership, and communication skills. You can watch or listen to Lou discuss leadership and management issues as the co-host of the weekly video blog and podcast “Q&A on Breakthrough Leadership.” He is a Master Coach and Keynote Speaker for Action Management Associates in Plano, TX, and a Senior Consultant on the Leadership and Organizational Effectiveness team for Executive Development Associates in Oklahoma City, OK. He also delivers leadership programs for Bonfire Training in Indianapolis, IN. Contact Lou at lou@louquinto.com or through his website.
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