Just Make a Decision Already!

Are you that leader or do you have that leader that just won't decide?

Ok, I was that leader! I wasn't always that way in my leadership journey but it started happening as I gained more responsibility and had "fancier" titles. I think this was partially because the pressure of the roles were significant and there was always the lingering internal politics to consider. Yes, I said it!

In my leadership career, it was never simply about the decision, it was also about managing all of the noise around that decision. In healthcare when working with both clinicians and administrators there tended to be a lot of noise! Either way, I sometimes felt paralyzed and afraid to make a decision. Ok so now what? Well, leaders are there for a reason and one of those reasons is to make decisions, so get to it and:

Make sure you know these 4 things before deciding:

1. The Information: What's going on, what is the data saying, what are you people saying? Listen, listen, listen!

2. The Players: Who will this impact? Who should you get buy in from first? Who won't like it? Remember those internal politics!

3. The Goal: Why do you need to make this decision? What will be gained? How long will it take? Keep your eye on the prize, baby!

4. The Plan: Who will have to be involved? Is it easy to adapt to? What will be the contingency plans? Expect the unexpected!

Remember to practice some humility here and recognize that you don't have the answers, so following these steps and looping in your team to fill the knowledge gaps will only help you!

Oh and guess what?! You're not always going to get it right! Just go ahead and accept that now! You will get it wrong sometimes but what matters is your transparency and the steps you take to quickly fix it.

So get to it, people are waiting!!