Making decisions can be quite scary, especially when you know they can affect more than just a few. Over the years, I’ve had to make tough calls that required quick wit and sound conscience. But it isn’t always the case that we make the best choices. As a leader, how do you ably avoid making snap decisions and instead come to well-thought-out conclusions that instil confidence within your team and possibly serve them better in the long term?

Making sound decisions isn’t something you can learn overnight, but it’s definitely something you can continuously practise. In this blog, I will share with you some tips on how you can go beyond overcoming indecision to actually making decisions that bring better results.

1. Acknowledge Your Strengths and Weaknesses

This may sound like a no-brainer, but it’s definitely something people overlook. As a leader, it’s important to acknowledge your strengths and weaknesses as this will help you better understand yourself and how you can develop your team. You get a clearer vision of what you want to achieve and can assess your capabilities in achieving them.

Sure, identifying your edge is important. But so is recognising your shortcomings. A weakness will stay as it is if you don’t admit it. Coming to terms with your flaws doesn’t mean you’re not strong – in fact, it’s supposed to help you get stronger. Knowing what you can’t do is one step, but working around it and finding ways to overcome it is another. Don’t be afraid of admitting weakness – it only means there’s room for you to grow and be better.

Leverage your strengths to push yourself further and test your limits. At the same time, see your weaknesses as opportunities to improve. Know that your strengths can support your decisions while your weaknesses can help you set realistic boundaries. Having a firm grasp of what you can do and how well you can do it will guide you to making decisions that play to your abilities and potential while also giving you the time and space to address areas that you’re lacking in.

2. Pick the Right Brains

“Can I pick your brain?” To some, such a request can come across as self-serving. After all, you’re asking to be given someone’s precious time so that they can share their expertise or acumen to help you make a more informed decision on a specific matter.

But picking brains doesn’t always have to be seen as time-consuming or non-reciprocal. Not when you surround yourself with bright, creative people and make it a habit to bounce ideas off each other, ask pointed questions, frame problems in different ways together, and exchange knowledge. These could be your own team members or the industry leaders or experts within the professional communities that you belong to. Doing this often enough not only helps you and others grow, but will also equip you with the relevant insights to make sound or effective decisions more quickly.

Good decision-makers are often those who combine the best ideas and wisdom from the people they trust, draw on their experiences and those of others, and then confidently act on them. So, you see, picking brains can be done collaboratively, to help you make better decisions independently!

3. Don’t Seek the Impossible

Voltaire famously said, “The best is the enemy of the good.” And this cannot be truer in decision-making. When you stubbornly demand perfection before allowing yourself to make any decision, you’ll soon find yourself becoming less efficient and productive. Sometimes, you just have to trust that what you have now is good enough to get you started on the next steps. So, what if you don’t have all the answers? Trust that you will find them along the way.

Good decision-makers have their sights on progress. They don’t wait around for the impossible, but get things started and then keep them moving. Want to make better decisions? Then stop letting the idea of perfection rule you – instead, focus on the great possibilities that can come from something that simply started as good.

To your success,

Mario

[Visit www.mariosingh.com now to enjoy a FREE e-book of my latest “37 Essential Principles for Massive Success” when you subscribe!]