It is a good trait for you as a leader to be decisive. Being assertive helps you decide and cut down on malicious acts like indiscipline that can wreck the business. A leader who is firm and knows how to assert confidently is right for business or any organization.
Such leaders have minimal tolerance for nonsense and are typically very efficient. However, too much of everything is wrong, and that applies to being extremely conclusive. Some adverse outcomes can come with being too assertive and they are as follows:
Limitation of Variety
Leaders who take being decisive to the extreme can often come off as being too stiff. They can even be seen as unnecessarily rigid and may not even be aware that they are becoming too unidirectional. They are blind to other options and they may not even be able to notice different perspectives.
To be decisive is to be confident, and there is nothing terrible in that, but if you are too swift in making decisions, it can still hurt you as a leader. Being too quick in decision-making can prevent you from seeing or even exploring more innovative and efficient ideas.
It is not a bad thing to be confident, but it has to be done with sense, and after considering all the factors involved. An excellent leader is one who will not just rush into making decisions only to end up regretting the consequences. You have to calm down and carefully consider everything that is involved. So, the first and significant danger is that being overly hasty when it comes to a decision can block you from doing an even better job of what you are coordinating.
If you are too absolute, and this is blocking you from making better decisions or having better outcomes, there is something you can do:
Consider Some Fresh Ideas
If there is a particular formula that you have been using all the time, you can decide to be more innovative by taking on a new perspective. Consciously decide to take a new approach. You can discuss with those on your team and hear the opinions of everyone. Do not depend only on your thoughts alone because doing so will mean you are not taking others’ opinions into consideration and that will not be good for anyone.
Wait a While
Whenever you can, pause for like 24 hours before you jump into making a decision. Taking your time and waiting before you decide is always going to work in your favor. The time is going to allow you to consider all the options on the ground for you carefully. This way, you will be able to ensure that you are making the most excellent decisions. If you are thinking of redesigning the organization’s policy, take a while to think properly.
Alienation from Other People
If you are incredibly firm, another problem you can face is seeing others avoid you. If you keep taking one-sided and unilateral decisions without considering others as a leader, your subordinates or colleagues are going to find a way to either ignore you, avoid you or even start loathing you. It is seen in various cases that decisive leaders are often lonely. Others can even regard you as too bossy, while others will detest you for being an authoritarian.
It is good that you make the final decisions as a leader with confidence but you also need to learn how to carry other people and your decision-making processes. There is nothing bad in also letting others contribute to the process. When others know that their opinions are valued, they will be a lot more interested in cooperating with you.
You have to carry others along for you to succeed as a leader. While this does not mean that you need to have others dictating to you, you have to let everyone on your team have a voice. It brings a lot of dynamic energy to decision-making, and you will better off for it.
