EXCEPTIONAL LEADERS...
Make Good Decisions

Values Beliefs Traits Emotions The ability to make good decisions is essential if you are going to be an Exceptional Leader.

Peter Druker says, “A decision is a judgment. It is a choice between alternatives. It is rarely a choice between right and wrong. It is at best a choice between ‘almost right’ and ‘probably wrong’—but much more often a choice between two courses of action, neither of which is probably more nearly right than the other.”

Good decisions require thoughtfulness, analysis and for some leaders, “dwell time”. Making a forced decision can cause worry and concern as to whether the decision is the right one or not. A precipitous decision can be disastrous.

Exceptional leaders develop a well thought through decision making process.

? Thought Provoker

Do you have a process for decision making? Here is one process that can ensure most of your decisions are “almost right”:

What is the situation/problem?
Determine whether to make a written analysis of this problem and your decision making process. If the decision is really important, write it out.

What are my objectives?
 What do I want to achieve in the short and long term?

Who and when?
Do I need to make this decision, or should someone else? When do I need to make this decision? Who will be touched by this decision?

What are my options?
 Analyze the options. What are the consequences, both positive and negative, of each option in terms of people, time and money? What are the short and long term implications of each option? Which best meets your objectives?

How do you best communicate?
Do I need to involve others, for either their opinions or their buy-in?

Decide
After deciding and before taking action assess whether it feels right. Trust your intuition.

Implement
What are the timelines and milestones?
With whom do I need to communicate?

Evaluate
How will I know that this is a good decision?
Have all of my objectives been met?
Do I need to make adjustments?

Exceptional Leaders take the time needed to make sure that they are coming across to others as they intend to. They capitalize on their strengths and build organizational support in area that are more of a challenge for them.

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