The Unspoken Art of Leadership: How the Best Leaders Make the Best Decisions

There is an unspoken art to effective leadership.

It is one that can make the difference between a good leader and a great one, has a profound impact on the lives of those they lead, and affects the organization as a whole.

I am talking about decision-making.

Great leaders make great decisions. They do so consistently, and their organizations thrive as a result. Leaders who don’t make good decisions—or worse yet, make bad ones—can doom an organization to mediocrity or even failure.

It is not difficult to see why decision-making is so important: It involves making choices about what will happen next, how it will be done, and where the organization should go from here.

While there are many factors, these are the top 3 traits I think are highly valuable when it comes to making game-time decisions.

1) Admit What You Don’t Know

In order to make a good decision, you have to admit what you don’t know. If you try to cover up your ignorance with bravado or bluster, it will only come back and bite you. Effective leaders are not afraid of being wrong; they are afraid of making decisions without all the facts.

There is no such thing as a perfect leader. There will always be things that they don’t know or have never done before, but the best leaders are not afraid to admit this fact and are open about it with their team. Being able to admit what you don’t know shows your team that you are human, which in turn makes them more likely to trust and respect your decisions.

Sometimes, the fastest way to make a good decision is to admit what you don’t know. This may sound like an excuse, but it’s not. It’s a powerful way to get past your ego and focus on what’s important.

If you are not willing to admit when you don’t have all the answers, how can your team trust that they can come forward with theirs?

2) Successful leaders are decisive.

This is a big one. Successful leaders are decisive and make decisions quickly. This allows them to move on from the decision once it has been made and focus on executing it. In contrast, indecisive leaders tend to overthink every aspect of a situation before making any decision at all—which usually results in missed opportunities.

A good leader knows that they can’t be indecisive. They are able to make quick decisions in order to move forward quickly when necessary, while also being able to slow down and choose carefully when the situation calls for it.

Successful leaders have a strong ability to think clearly in stressful situations, enabling them to make sound choices even when time is limited.

They know what to do and when to do it.

They don’t dilly-dally around.

Sure, they may ask for input from their team or stakeholders, but ultimately it is up to them as the leader to make that final call.

3) Great leaders make decisions that serve the purpose, of their people, clients, and the goals of their organization.

They don’t just make decisions for the sake of making them. They understand that their job is not just to create business value, but also human value.

They don’t waste time on decisions that don’t serve any of the above. They know when to say “no” and they are comfortable with saying it.

Here's another big one that should be in all caps, but I won't because it's not proper LinkedIn "etiquette." They don’t make decisions that are self-serving or that put their needs ahead of those around them. If you are a leader, people will expect you to make the best decision for the team and customers.

Every decision has a ripple effect and they don’t make decisions that serve their own interests. They look at the big picture and are able to put aside any personal feelings they might have in order to do what is right for everyone involved.

In short, decision-making is an art, and the most effective leaders are those who have mastered this art.

It's not just about being decisive, but also about making decisions that benefit the organization as a whole. A lot of this comes down to knowing what sort of decision to make and when to make it. Perhaps more importantly, it also comes down to knowing who in the organization should be making these decisions—and how they can do so effectively.

You've spent months, maybe even years, building up your company, and your team. And now is the time they count on you to make the right decisions and guide them in the right direction.?

Feel free to share your thoughts below.