Yesterday, I taught a mini-workshop on decisiveness to middle- and senior-managers of an international pharmaceutical company. According to Gary Yardley and Jan Kelly of PIPS Pty Ltd, Decisiveness is one of the three dimensions of leadership. The other two are Diligence and Discernment.
Is decisiveness an important attribute of leaders? Imagine your leader being constantly indecisive. How would you deal with that? Consider the consultative style of leadership, where the manager relentlessly pursues your opinions. When they attempt to appease the majority, are they making compromises?
What is the difference between a professional photographer and an amateur photographer? Both know how to take good photographs, but the professional photographer knows when to.
The late-French photographer, Henri Cartier-Bresson coined the term ‘decisive moments’. World-class photojournalist, Dewitt Jones describes it as ‘turning the ordinary into the extraordinary’. In endurance races such triathlons, there are many decisive moments for us. In Craig Holland’s recent article [Are You Having Chicken Rice?], he encourages us to be clear and committed during our Transitions. Precious seconds, and even minutes may be lost through carelessness. If we are unable to discern between opportunity and crisis, then we may forego moments where we can realize our potential. Leadership is also about helping others realize their potential.
Many managers and executives concern themselves with what a good decision is. As my astute students pointed out yesterday, how good or bad a decision was, will depend on the results. Therefore, we can evaluate decisions only after we measure the outcomes. Decisions can range from snap judgments to deliberation; with levels of recklessness and calculated risk.
The only way we can get more decisive is to make more decisions. You made a decision to read. Now, make a decision to do something.
2 comments:
Its important to make a decision rather than trying to make a best decision which never exist. Doing something is better than doing nothing.
Am in the middle of deciding something for next year, weighing my options now, hopefully will get decisive in afew days time.
Good writting mate.
Thanks for replying, Matty. You sound decisive. Decisions are based on our choices. The more choices we have, the more informed our decisions become. I agree that doing something is better than stasis. My teacher shared with me his approach: Doing is done.
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