Decision-Making: Making or Breaking Your Leadership Credibility
Decision-making is essential for building and maintaining leadership credibility. In the scheme of things, not just any decision will do. As with most things, decision making is a process. A leader who prioritizes the decision-making process not only inspires confidence, but also fosters a culture of trust and respect within their organization. As a leader how you make decisions is important to your influence on the team.
First, as a leader, do you see and recognize problems? This requires spending time with others who know the work better than you do. I have walked by problems because I did not know enough about a particular aspect of the job to recognize them as problems. Recently, I spent time with a sound technician. He was able to pick up problems with the audio presentation that I never heard. I asked him, how did you hear that? He said, “years of practice.” Spending time with those who have put in the “practice,” makes it more likely that we will recognize a problem when it occurs.
Second, it is imperative that you accept the fact that as the leader it is your responsibility. You are entrusted with making crucial decisions that affect the team, organization, or community. How you manage this responsibility can affect your credibility as a leader. Making well-thought-out decisions demonstrates accountability and earns respect.
“Indecision is the thief of opportunity.” ~Jim Rohn
Next, it is imperative that as a leader you make a clear decision for without clarity, the direction and morale of the team will suffer. Gathering information and seeing the long-term consequences of a decision are valuable skills in a leader. Ambiguity or indecisiveness can lead to confusion and frustration among team members, undermining a leader’s credibility.
Then, a leader makes choices regarding how to communicate their decision and how you do that is as important as the decisions themselves. Transparent communication about the reasoning behind decisions, as well as their potential impact, fosters understanding and acceptance among team members.
“Communication is the real work of leadership.” ~ Dan Cathy
Soon, trust is gained or lost based on how consistent you are at making sound decisions. When people believe their leader has gathered good information and has their best interests at heart, they’re more likely to trust and follow that leader. Being honest and trustworthy plays a major role in leadership creditability.
Invest time and effort in making good decisions,
Jeff
