Word-Of-the-Week #920: Decisive
March 24, 2022 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on Word-Of-the-Week #920: Decisive
Decisive – the ability to make decisions quickly.
When it comes to making decisions would you say you are decisive? Do you have a tendency to not want to deal with or avoid difficult situations? Do you like solving challenges quickly?
This week features excerpts from “Decisive Managers Make Better Leaders. Don’t let “analysis paralysis” keep you from making good decisions. Enlist help from your mentors if you need it,” by the Business News Daily.
“Business leaders who have developed a cooperative approach to decision-making understand that people need to be valued, respected, listened to and involved. This approach translates into better performance for their companies. It also yields more streamlined results as the inability to make sound decisions means your company could suffer greatly, as nothing will ever get done.
This inherent fear of making a mistake is one of the most common reasons that lead to “risk aversion,” or the inability to move forward with decisions. Another common setback is that many leaders get caught up in “analysis paralysis.” This plays out in the form of incessant information gathering: statistics, surveys and the like that can prolong the decision-making process.
Sometimes top-level management will bury their heads in the sand and truly believe that change or new direction decisions are not necessary. This type of leader would rather uphold the status quo than look at new ideas which can be counter-productive, particularly considering our current high-speed business and economic environment.
It may be a definitive advantage to appoint women to top-tier positions, including positions on company boards. In fact, the study points out that boards with higher female representation experience a 53% higher return on equity, a 66% higher return on invested capital and a 42% higher return on sales.
What is a decisive leader?
A crucial aspect of being a successful leader is the ability to make decisions that are time-sensitive and well-informed. Decisive leaders are those who seek out the appropriate information that is necessary to make a good decision and they demonstrate an understanding of the knowledge held by their colleagues, direct reports and leaders.
In the workplace, decisiveness is key for effectively executing plans and achieving set goals. Decisive leaders have the ability to balance the costs of continuing to gather information, deliberate and delay a decision versus the costs of making poor choices. They are aware of competing costs, and they weigh them carefully, but most importantly, a decisive leader makes decisions that are clear and final.
The qualities of a decisive leader
Decisiveness isn’t a skill that people typically talk about, but it is extremely important to successful leadership. For example, have you ever worked with a leader who could not make up their mind; they were always asking others what they thought, but they never came up with any conclusions themselves? If you have experienced this, you understand how frustrating an indecisive leader may be. Some of the benefits of being a decisive leader for employees and the company include:
- Decisive leaders are responsible and accountable. Decisive leaders take responsibility for the effect their decisions have on the company and other, and they are committed to following through on the actions needed to carry out a decision.
- They are confident. Decisive leaders deliver their messages with clarity and confidence, which makes it unlikely for others to second-guess their decisions.
- Once they reach a decision, they are slow to change their mind. Being decisive doesn’t entail being arrogant, stubborn or hasty, it simply means having the ability to make decisions with clarity. Decisive leaders can be slow to change their mind. This is because they trust their instincts.
Being a decisive leader is a highly desirable skill, especially when it comes to running a business. There are very few people who are willing to put their trust in someone that overthinks and goes back and forth over basic decisions.
This week’s focus is on being decisive. Do you want to be the leader of your own life or the follower? Who do you think knows better and is more wiser than you when it comes to making decisions? If you are unsatisfied with your any part of your life what are going to do about it?
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WOW Word-Of-the-Week #441: Decisive
January 17, 2013 by Susan Clarke · Comments Off on WOW Word-Of-the-Week #441: Decisive
Decisive – the ability to make decisions quickly.
When it comes to making decisions would you say you are decisive? Do you have a tendency to not want to deal with or avoid difficult situations? Do you like solving challenges quickly?
Long time reader Joe had this to say in response to my WOW #435 on Priorities.
“My top priorities are my wife and daughters. They come before anyone and anything else. As for work priorities, when there are numerous projects that have to be completed, I always do those that have to be completed first and the soonest. Then I go in order. There have been times in the past when because of a CHANGE IN MY SCHEDULE(!) I forgot to study for a couple of tests in my freshman or sophomore year of college. On both of the exams I believed that I received grades of D. It happens.
Getting priorities straight is a lot easier said than done for a lot of people. The bottom line is that it takes a COMMITMENT and DECISIVENESS. If both of those things are in the equation, it is a lot easier to set 
priorities in our lives.
Then I found a very good article on Decisiveness on Dr. Harman’s website. He writes, “From the strength of a decision you then have the ability to act. Leadership requires that you are able to make key decisions effectively. Decisiveness then simply means being the leader of your own life. Decisiveness is both a skill you can build and an internal state you can summon when you need it.
The reason people aren’t decisive isn’t because that is an effective strategy for problem solving. Indecisive people act that way simply because they assume others will make better decisions for them. These people end up being subjected to the whims of others and have to rely on the thinking power of others to survive.
Being decisive is simply the most rational way to take on any problem. You observe the information you have available and then you decide what would be the most successful course of action. If it is possible to get more information, you decide how to get it. If you can’t get more data, you simply decide with the facts available.
This week’s focus is on being decisive. Do you want to be the leader of your own life or the follower? Who do you think knows better and is more wiser than you when it comes to making decisions? If you are unsatisfied with your any part of your life what are going to do about it?
Reader Responses
“This and your “self talk” word of the week totally speaks to me! These are the montra’s I’ve been working on with myself and your words of support reinforce these wonderfully! It’s amazing that I spent a lot of my life thinking “that others would make better decisions for me”. Better late than never I’m really realizing my potential and self worth. Thank you for the continued positive “FUN-Damentals” and words of inspiration! We need more people like you in this world to help everyone be inspired to realize their own potential.” – Amy
“First, thank you for including my comments in your WOW! I appreciate it. As for being decisive, life is too short to spend time going back and forth before finally deciding what to do. As Yoda said in Star Wars, “Either do or don’t; there is no TRY.” Those who are indecisive are usually those people who have had others in their lives make their decisions for them. They have not thought for themselves in their lives, and as a result they are lost for the rest of their lives. With every decision there is the risk of being wrong or failing. But that is part of life. Every decision we make there is a consequence. If we simply sit there and don’t decide, then we don’t move forward. Yes or no. Today is the day. Get with the program. If we don’t decide, life passes us by. Those have not made decisions in their lives wind up behind everyone else in this great big world. My wife does not like those who are indecisive. She wants people, especially whom she deals with in banking and retail, to make up their minds. It drives her nuts when people will not decide. Many times people who can’t make up their minds or put off decisions, are not confident enough in their own abilities to do something. So, just do it and learn to live with the consequences. That is life.” – “Warrior” Joe