The Secrets to Making Great Decision as a Leader

How to Make Great Decisions as a Leader

Decisions are one thing in this universe that can determine and create totally opposite futures depending how they are called. The right decision can vault you towards your goals and lock your bearing down towards what you want to achieve, while a bad decision can take everything you hold dear and then drop you to the bottom. So the question is how do we make the best decision possible while taking into account all the variables involved?

The Source of Indecision, FEAR

There are many elements that go into a well-chosen decision such as timing, manner, counsel and the list goes on and on. Without the right perspective a leader may become overwhelmed and fall into the greatest decision killer of them all, Fear. An indecisive leader is an oxymoron; there is not such thing as a passive leader. Leaders must make decisions!

            Decision-making not only affects you, but every single person around you, and can continue far into the future. That is why it is so important to use your assets wisely and make the right decision the first time.

Why Loyalty is Imperative For a Leader

Making a decision as a leader should not be a lonely process; you should seek counsel from many around you. “One of us is never smarter than all of us.” Now after you have talked it over with your peers and those who work closest to the pulse of the problem, take the appropriate amount of time then “Make The Call.” Even if it 180 degrees from what has been suggested from everyone else, if you truly believe that is the right decision, Make The Call!

            This is where as a good leader you have a tool in your pouch so to speak, and it is called loyalty. If you have done your job as a good leader, a good “ServantLeader,” you will have developed loyalty between you and those you lead. This loyalty allows your team to know without a doubt you have the best interest for them and the mission. Loyalty means you expect your team to tell you exactly how they feel about a situation with true honesty, but after everything has been said and a decision is made, Loyalty means everyone walks out of the room and embraces that decision made like it was their own.

Decision Making Steps

1.     Take time proportionate to the outcome of the decision

        As Dave Ramsey would say, do not spend an hour at the checkout trying to decide which pack of gum you want to purchase, make the decision and move on! Now in the other hand, if you are deciding on something that will effect your next 5 years you will want to take a lot more time to come to a conclusion. A good rule of thumb is looking at your risk profile per the decision and gauging when it will increase, this will give you a good idea when a decision must be made.

2.     Get Good Input From Your Team

        Bring in the best to talk about the decision, both Pro’s and Con’s. This is the point where you as a leader need to step up and ask good questions. The goal is to encourage good debate among your teams. The better the disagreement and debate the more information you get on the subject and a better understanding.

3.     Find some quite space

        Now that you have had plenty of time and lots of great input on the decision, it is time to break away to find somewhere you can truly be alone with your thoughts. This will allow you to really take in everything you have learned on the subject and make a good call on the decision. This is a very important step. Many great leaders find an activity to do, one that allows them solitude but keeps their hands busy, this allows their subconscious to really go into overdrive and for them to make a great decision.

4.     Defeat Indecision and procrastination.

        Leaders may get stuck in analysis paralysis, at this point after you have weighed all the inputs and spent the necessary time thinking about the decision, put a day on the calendar down to the hour, this will signify the moment you must make the call. When that day and hour arrive do not push it back but stick to your choice and pull the trigger!

“See You At The Top”

Tom McConnell

Owner Mental Giants Nutrition

TomMcConnell@mentalgiantsnutrition.com

As always a video by Eddie Pinero. Check out his website YourWorldWithin, you won't be disappointed.

Why Company Culture Is So Important For Success

Culture is a daunting thing to think about as a leader even more so when you ponder how you personally can affect it for the better. Culture is absolutely necessary to get right if you want to have a truly successful team. So the question remains, how can one person affect his working environments culture for the better?

What is culture and why is it so important?

I believe it was in Simon Sinek’s book “Start With Why” he describes culture as a group of individuals that come together and have common values and beliefs. I think this is a great description of culture. Culture is so important because it shapes the individuals in that society to act a certain way in one form or another.

 For instance I grew up in a very small town in Indiana before I joined the military I never had any other job other than a farm hand and on many different types of farms. I truly believe that culture I was placed in while growing up instilled good hardworking traits and habits into me and I greatly benefited from the cultures I was apart of.

            Here is another way to think about culture, imagine it as the root system of a tree. Each root is your companies, squadrons, or families core values, ethics, and valued traits. The stronger the culture/roots the more your society will withstand and hold strong. If you company does not stand for anything it will be blown over by any adversity that comes its way.

How to maintain Culture

A strong culture can be a lifeline to a company facing difficulty; it is not uncommon for a leader to make rash hasty decision under the gun. This is when a strong culture helps, one that a leader can fall back and it can be very comforting. Creating a strong culture will aid the group to build those strong roots, the stronger the roots grow the more support you will get from the rest of your members. Another Reference from “Simon Sinek’s Book Start with Why” (I apologize for not doing the story justice I am currently righting this blog offline and do not have the book handy).

            Basically the story explains a time when the entire world had not been completely explored, and a captain sent an ad out to recruit men for a very dangerous mission to explore Antarctica, the mission was very risky and chances of survival were minimal. They began their voyage and soon enough they were caught in ice they ended up drifting for months with limited supplies and under horrible conditions, many assumed few would come back as the ingredients to that environment often meant mutiny. Finally the ship was rescued and not a one person lost their life. This was to the astonishment of speculators who had estimated most would have died, how did they do this?

            The captain of the boat before they left was very cunning, when he created his ad for the newspaper he created an add that ensured everyone responding would have the same values, traits, and ethics and that would make his culture extremely strong on the boat. He explained in the ad the trip would be extremely dangerous, and odds were they would not make it back. But in the chance they did survive every man on the boat would be famous and do something that no one else could.

Take Away

Build a strong enough culture and no matter the trials or difficulties your society will stick together through pain and be there to celebrate triumphs.

Question:

Do you think culture can be taught? Or do you believe it is a Nature vs Nurture phenomenon?

“See You At The Top”

Tom McConnell

Owner Mental Giants Nutrition
TomMcConnell@mentalgiantsnutrition.com