We define decisiveness as the ability to make decisions quickly and effectively, even in the face of uncertainty. Each of the key words in the definition play a part in differentiating thoroughness from overthinking. Quickly refers to the timing element in that many leadership decisions do not provide the luxury of enough time to make the perfect decision. It is the nature of 21st Century Leadership that the pace of business simply outpaces slow and deliberate decision-making. Effectively refers to the impact of the decision. As there is little chance of ever making an A+ decision for any significant leadership situation, the ability to move the business forward with positive impact with good B+ decisions is important to achieving sustainable success. Finally, uncertainty refers to the quality and quantity of information leaders have at their disposal to make good B+ decision. 21st Century Business is information-rich and knowledge-poor. While leaders can have access to reams of information, almost too much in many cases, it is the uncertainty around having the right information that is the greater challenge!
When leaders are being thorough in their decision-making, they ensure they have access to only the relevant and complete details that matter to the decision. This implies that a strategy exists in which to contextualize the available information into the knowledge details that matter. Organizational strategies provide the guiding conditions that allow leaders to be very efficient in their decision-making as it allows them to quickly disregard information not relevant to the decision at hand. We recently wrote about the need to
focus on the organization’s mission given the new business realities and being able to maintain a factual focus on the mission. The leader’s focus on strategy when it comes to timely and effective decision-making is equally, if not more, important to sustainable success!
Overthinking, on the other hand, can take leaders down the path of indecision, inaction, and possibly stress and anxiety. Whereas being thorough focuses on the most important information needed for the decision, overthinkers tend to focus on every detail, no matter how relevant or insignificant. In today’s new reality, not all details are created equal, yet to an overthinker, they are. The absence of an organizational strategy can severely complicate and enable overthinking in that there is no way to differentiate one detail from another on the relevance scale of importance to the business. In an age of complexity, simplicity is often the leader’s secret weapon. Overthinking has the opposite effect in that it complicates simple issues by looking for more information, more time, or more input before making what should be a decisive B+ decision!
Being a thorough decision-maker reflects leadership that plays to win. Being an overthinking decision-maker reflects leadership that plays not to lose. In our experience both in corporate leadership roles and working with business leaders, both for profit and non-profit, what makes the difference between the two are the information systems and communications structures within the business. This experience led us to writing
Finding the Missing Piece: The Impact of Effective Communications on Sustainable Success. These systems are tightly aligned to the business strategy such that leaders at all levels have access to the right information at the time they need it and in a manner they can be decisive in how they use it.
How are your leadership decisions playing to win and how do you know? If you’re not sure,
we can help.
Lead Well!
