THE SURPRISING EASE OF DECISIVE LEADERSHIP
2-Minute Read
Steve Jobs streamlined his wardrobe to minimize decision fatigue, wearing the same black turtleneck daily. Jeff Bezos makes pivotal decisions with only 70% of the information, to not miss opportunities that waiting on complete certainty would cost. These icons exemplify a crucial element of leadership: the power of being decisive.
As a leader, you face hundreds of decisions a day, which will be stressful and fatiguing if you’re pouring great amounts of time and energy into each one. That’s why becoming decisive is so valuable; it transforms your relationship to making decisions. When practiced regularly, decisiveness correlates with higher rates of happiness, life satisfaction, mental wellbeing, and overall success.
If you’ve ever sought to make decisions more easily and effectively, today’s issue of The Grip is for you. We’re simplifying decision-making by debunking one very costly fallacy about it and giving you a powerful mental framework for making effective decisions quickly.
Let’s dive in!
DECISIVE LEADERSHIP
Debunking The Fallacy
The leading decision-making myth permeating our culture is that there must be a “right” decision to make. Our language is saturated with imperatives such as “make the right decision” or “don’t make the wrong decision.” It never occurs to us to challenge this perception.
Notice your level of stress, worry, or anxiety when the responsibility for making the elusive “right” decision is on your shoulders. Notice how stuck you become when vacillating in the valley of endless deliberation.
What if the “right” decision doesn’t exist?
The following passage from Straight Line Leadership shines a bright light on this notion of making the right decision:
Many people are paralyzed by the option of choice. It feels too dramatic. Maybe they’ll make a wrong choice! They are terrified of making the wrong choice…. Choosing is powerful. Choosing is so powerful that many times it doesn’t even have to be the “right” choice…. Therefore it rarely matters which course you choose, as long as you choose and act. Keep choosing. Stop worrying.
What, in the end, determines whether something was a good choice? You do. What you do after you choose can turn almost anything into a good choice.
Straight Line Leadership pp. 56, 57
What do you notice about decisions when you stop framing them as right, wrong, good, or bad in the first place? Have you ever considered the possibility that it is your actions following a decision that have the greatest impact on whether it is the “right” decision?
Decisiveness becomes much easier when you stop stressing over making right decisions and act on your capacity to make your decisions right.
Applying The Framework
Decision-making frameworks abound in the leadership world for a reason: they quickly make order and clarity out of confusion and chaos. Look into them. Some are more complex than others; some are for use with specific kinds of decisions, and some can be widely applied. I highly recommend you identify a handful of frameworks that work for the kinds of decisions you face; they will make you more decisive.
One of my favorite decision-making frameworks is a simple yet powerful take on the 1-10 scale. For any decision—whether you're considering a new hire or choosing guiding values for your business—rate it from 1 to 10 (1 being low interest, 10 being great interest). But here’s the catch: you can’t pick 7. If your rating is 6 or lower, it’s a no. If it’s 8 or higher, it’s a yes. By removing 7, this method cuts out the mediocre middle that keeps you stuck, forcing a clear yes or no to propel you forward.
This framework is versatile. You can use it at work as well as home, on big decisions as well as small. Teach it to your team, your family, and friends. Using this framework will reduce the amount of time and energy you spend in the deliberation process; pay attention to how this frees you up and increases performance and workability in your life.
“Decisiveness becomes much easier when you stop stressing over making right decisions and act on your capacity to make your decisions right. ”
You absolutely can become more effective, efficient, and confident in decision-making. When you stop trying to make the “right” decision and constrain your choices to a clear yes/no framework, making decisions really does get easier.
You can be decisive. Wherever you put these tools to work, your life will accelerate.
Keep creating!
Not yet part of The Plenteous Life community? Subscribe to The Grip! Every week you’ll receive additional video, audio, and pdf tools directly in your email inbox to help you transform at both work and home.
May you prosper in every way!
Becky & TPL Team
52 Maxims of Conscious Choosing To Create the Deeply Satisfying Life You Desire.