On decision making

Elevating Your Leadership Game

In any organization, whether you're a permanent leader or stepping in temporarily, one of the fundamental responsibilities is making decisions. This might seem straightforward, but decision-making is far from a single-dimensional task. It's not just about saying yes or no.

For many leaders, the ability to quickly provide an answer is seen as a hallmark of great leadership. It eliminates bottlenecks and allows the organization to move forward swiftly. While this can be true in some cases, if decisions were always that simple, they could be handled further down the chain with the right guidance and delegation.

To truly optimize for the best outcomes, decisions need to be categorized. When younger managers come to me with an "urgent" request for a decision, I often ask:

• Why can't you make this decision yourself?
• When do we really need to decide?
• How many options do we have?
• Is this a no-regret decision with long-term consequences?

Sometimes, the hesitation to decide stems from uncertainty about their mandate, which can be clarified to empower them for the future. Other times, what feels urgent is simply the desire to clear the table and move on. Even in the most pressing situations, I've found there's always time to take five minutes to think things through, avoiding reflexive responses.

Is it a binary choice, or have we considered multiple options? Introducing simple, standard ways to describe options ensures we've reflected on all possibilities, including doing nothing. This helps the leadership team develop a common language and approach.

Lastly, consider if the decision will have significant long-lasting consequences, which might require a different approach altogether.

As you move up the leadership ladder, your perspective changes, and so does the need for different decision-making styles. In February 2006, the Harvard Business Review published an article titled "The Seasoned Executive's Decision-Making Style," which included a simple 2x2 matrix. The authors found that senior executives who performed best used integrative and flexible methods more frequently, aligning with the increasing complexity of decisions at higher leadership levels.

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Reflecting on your decision-making styles and applying different approaches in various situations is key to optimizing context-driven decision-making.

What has been your experience with different decision-making styles?