You have probably been in a situation where you just wish someone would make a decision so everyone can move forward. It is frustrating. The lack of decision can stop a lot of work, and waste a lot of time.
If you are a leader, you need to be able to make decisions. And you need to make them promptly. The real issue for you may be that there doesn't seem to be enough information to make the right decision. That is often the case; but taking time to get a lot more information can result in delays which may be just as detrimental as the wrong decision.
Early in my career, I used to hem and haw before making a decision. Nine times out of ten, the decision I would have made was the same as the one that I eventually made (but much later). I had to learn to trust my instincts, rely on the advice of others, and take a leap. I also had to learn that when the wrong decision was made, I had to admit I was wrong, suck it up, and reset the course. That may seem hard, but it actually works well. People will appreciate this way of working and will appreciate having you as their leader.
I recently met up with an ex-colleague who said he had not fully understood how great it was to have decisions made until he worked for another manager (after I left) and prompt decisions became rare. In my group, decisions were made quickly and things got done. My colleague hadn't really noticed that anything special was happening - it seemed like the natural way to work. However, when he changed groups, he really noticed the difference. When decisions didn't get made, developers made their own micro-decisions and the group did not all work toward the same goal; the results were terrible - virtually no forward progress was made in months. I know the managers in this group and they are all good, smart people. What they are not, however, is bold. I have seen them get trapped in "analysis paralysis" more than once. Being decisive takes courage and is hard to do. But it is essential, if you want to be a great leader.
Some good advice I got once from my husband (a colleague at the time) was "Lead, follow, or get out of the way". He had been in the Navy for a while and this was one of many useful lessons he took away (as a side note, he is also an excellent bed maker and can iron like a pro!). I always remember this. This is a mantra worth repeating and teaching others.
So go out there and make decisions. Lead. Be bold. And occasionally, if you are wrong, admit it, change course, and move on.
P.S. My post title was inspired by Adam Mansbach's book "Go the F**k to Sleep". Check out Samuel Jackson reading this book on YouTube if you are not familiar with the book. It is pretty funny.
A lot of the people in positions of leadership arrive there because of decisiveness and clarity of one form or another (I am distinguishing leadership from management here, all sorts of people drift randomly into management). But you seem to suggest that indecisive is a default state we need to coax ourselves from, rather than something that it is easy to slide into given the wrong sort of environment? (Well, and personal laziness, lest it sound like I am absolving the indecisive.)
ReplyDeleteI am also curious what your thinking is about the effects of what I call "high-resistance people" are? These are people above, below and beside the leader that can only find fear and folly in all potential decisions? Generally these are highly risk averse people that push potential leaders into a defensive position, where the easiest choice becomes punting on decisions and blaming lack of progress on resourcing issues.
Or as you say, spinning on data acquisition... or worse, attempting to design process that insanely attempts to makes decisions a natural resource inaccessible to resistance.
I agree with you that people arrive in leadership positions because they have clarity of thought or can make decisions. But for me, at least, indecisiveness is more of a natural state. I have to remind myself to be decisive and to stick with my decisions. Currently I work in a great environment, not at all the wrong sort of environment, and still I must remind myself to make decisions in a timely fashion. Perhaps others leaders aren't like that ... good for them!
ReplyDeleteHigh resistance people are an interesting breed. I have tolerated many of them in my career. I have dealt with them by first getting them on board with decisions, or by ignoring what they say, and spending time dealing with the damage they create in the organization. Both can work but they are time consuming. And they may not work as well if you are not their manager in addition to their leader. I honestly believe that there are very few high resistance people who are worth that trouble. The real solution to them is to eliminate them from the organization. They really should not be tolerated if they cause so many problems (note: not terminating a couple of very smart, capable, but really disruptive people in a previous position was a poor move on my part). Be clear. though, that I am not talking about occasional dissenters. I believe that a healthy organization should be have disagreements and arguments. And not everyone needs to agree all the time. Healthy discussion leads to better decisions, better designs, better solutions. But the people who say No to everything ... they need to be moved out of the organization or they will be the end of it. And if they are above you, one possibility that you note ... then perhaps it is best for you to move out of the organization.