It's Time to Decide

Hi there ????. Ready to lead? "Acts of Leadership" helps people, (irrespective of title or tenure), expand their leadership range one experiment at a time. Each issue shares a [pro/e]vocative definition of leadership, an idea and an experiment.

How do you decide?

What's the best decision you've ever made?

How do you know?

How easy or hard was making that choice?

One of my better decisions was to quit my PhD just 3 months into it.

I went from being sad, lonely and depressed to being relaxed and content. Everything that followed has been one long adventure.

Getting to the point of deciding was turmoil for me because of consequences to others and I made up stories about letting people down.

Reflecting on my big decisions I tend to be intuitive rather than cognitive. I get to the point of feeling that it's the right choice, usually in my stomach.

How about you?

Decision-making is a common topic that people bring to coaching. Unsurprisingly it's a core part of an executive's leadership role.

How do I make better decisions with incomplete data in a short amount of time?

How do I know if I'm making the right decision?

A Definition…

"Leadership is... making better quality decisions."

An Idea…

Thinking Fast and Slow

Daniel Kahneman suggests we have two thinking systems.

System 1 thinking is intuitive and automatic, like having the gut feeling that someone is sad. It's a fast, unconscious or emotional response to a situation. As such it's prone to error and personal bias.

We might operate with an anchoring bias or confirmation bias for example. The invitation here is to reflect on what bias you might have. How? Talking your decisions through with a trusted thinking partner, a colleague or a friend.

System 2 thinking is slow, cerebral and effortful. It's analytical, deliberate and rational. If you have some perfectionism you might find yourself delaying a decision until you can have more certainty.

Meta Programs

Meta Programs are a core concept in NLP (neuro-linguistic programming) that explore our cognitive and behavioural patterns.

They are the mental processes operating at an elevated level, driving our thoughts, emotions, and actions—and thus influencing our decision-making.

Which of these 5 core meta-programs do you recognise in your experience?

- Proactive vs Reactive

- Options vs Procedures (having options vs structured approach)

- Sameness vs Difference

- Towards vs Away From motivation (moving towards an outcome vs avoiding bad results)

- Internal vs External frame of reference (self-referencing rather than external validation)

Having insight into your preference in different situations helps you counter bias.

Cartesian Questions

How many times have you taken an action in a meeting, and reviewed them in the next meeting only to find the action was never taken? It was either not useful, or outdated, or something else came up that made it irrelevant.

A decision taken is never taken in isolation. The impact is felt in the broader ecosystem of our lives. If the decision is not a 'good fit' in the wider context the chance of a successful outcome is lower.

You can use the following 4 questions to assess the 'fit' of a decision, to test out how good a decision it is.

1. What WILL happen if I DO the thing?

2. What WILL happen if I DON'T do the thing?

3. What WON'T happen if I DO the thing?

4. What WON'T happen if I DON'T do the thing ?

(When it comes to question 4, don't overthink it, and don't simplify it. It's a different question from no.1 and will attract different answers).

Duchamp's Door

In 1927 Marcel Duchamp had a carpenter install a door in his small apartment at 11 rue Larrey. The door served 2 doorways, hinged as it was in the corner of the room. To open the door to the bedroom is to close the door to the bathroom. To open the door to the bathroom is to close the door to the bedroom.

The act of deciding was to commit to a single choice and discard the alternatives.

It's a good illustration of commitment, the Cartesian questions and acting with unbending intent.

Lessons from Rock Climbing

If you want to study decision-making and commitment in high-risk environments where uncertainty is present, talk to rock climbers. They know a thing or two about how to make important decisions and commit to action with clarity and focus.

Not deciding is not an option

Choosing not to choose is making a choice. Choosing not to vote is making a decision. You're always part of a system and your choices (choosing not to choose) create impact and are part of shaping the outcome.

Staying quiet sends messages.

Silence speaks volumes.

An Experiment…

?? - Make a list of your best big decisions and your worst big decisions. What do you notice?

?? - Become an observer of yourself over the next 7 days. Reflect on the 5 meta-programs above and notice your preferences in each.

?? - Time-box 15 minutes to practice using the Cartesian questions this week on 1 important decision. How was it?

An invitation to explore…

?? Book: Thinking Fast and Slow : Daniel Kahneman

?? Ted: How to make smart decisions more easily : TED-Ed (4:57)

?? Book: The Rock Warrior's Way : Arno Ilgner

Leadership needn't be lonely!

Lead when ready!

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