Leaders are deciders - which is both a tremendous responsibility AND a creative opportunity.
Making impactful decisions means being conscious of what matters most to you and for your venture. It starts with being clear on your values, vision, goals, strategy, and action plan in order to evaluate what fits, and what doesn’t. If you’re visually-oriented, keep those “litmus tests” in front of you, poster-style.
Many of our small decisions are made impulsively without much consequence. However, when it comes to the “biggies” involving your finances, relationships, challenges or change, having a process to evaluate what you need to know and do BEFORE making a decision can up the odds of making a good one.
When faced with a decision, do you have a routine or do you fly by the seat of your pants? :) (No Judgement!) Please share your decision-making tips and challenges in comments below.
For those looking to explore a new process, I offer my S.H.I.N.E. method. It’s a way of being mindful before leaping - and not every step is necessary every time. See if it resonates with you.
S - Sit with it. I am a big believer in mindfulness practice and trusting intuition. If you allow yourself a mindful pause to clear your mind of noise or a lengthier bit of time to be more conscious of what comes up, the decision may be obvious requiring no further action.
H- Hone in on it. Breaking a big choice into smaller components in order to simplify your understanding of a complex issue is helpful. What are the elements of the decision at hand? Can parts be implemented incrementally, perhaps in phases, with evaluation in between? Simplification is also clarifying.
I - Information is needed. If you are unclear on how the decision fits into your current framework or if you want to spark change, gathering more info makes sense. While it’s true that some folks get bogged down in analysis paralysis - incomplete information can be just as debilitating in wrong turns and lost time.
N - Network! You have people! They also have people! Who, outside of yourself and your team, can shed light on your information-gathering or share experiences different than your own? Pose a question and see what comes back. We’ve uncovered insights and new resources by tapping into the hive mind.
E - Execute. A quick review of each of these decision-making elements can be your first step - a needs assessment if you will. DECIDING which elements are worthy of a deeper dive is the first decision to make. Leaders are decisive and comfortable with risk. Once you execute, be prepared to monitor and adjust.
Ultimately, decision-making with process, consistency and confidence is a leadership skill under continuous improvement.
May all YOUR decisions SHINE for the greater good!