Four-step guide to being decisive as a leader

Could your decision-making skills use an apparent tune-up? How about the decision-making skills of individuals who work for or with you?

Excellent decisive skills make many parts of your life and work better. Start today to better your resolutions and the efficiency with which you make them.

How is our four-step guide to being decisive as a leader. 

Decision Framing

Step one is framing the decision. You can attempt this by seeking answers to the questions below. It will help you clarify the decision that you must make.

1. What are you trying to improve, change or create?
2. What is it about?
3. Who are the “customers” of your work?
4. Why?

What measures will your clients use to evaluate whether the decision you made and how you implemented it was successful?

1. When does the judgment need to be made? When does it need to be performed?
2. What restrictions create boundaries or limits for your work?
3. Who is advising?
4. Who is deciding?
5. Who will be informed?

Gather data

• What data do you need? How can you score it conveniently?
• What data do you have to make the decision, and how soon can you produce new information if needed?
• What opinions are you making that you need to revise or verify? 
• How are you going to test them before implementing them?

Decide

Reach a logical conclusion based on your chosen framework and the data you’ve gathered. Make a simple “decision diary.” Add any assumptions required in making the decision and the information you used to reach it. This gives you a foundation of information you can use to improve your quality and decision-making process. What if you can’t reach a reasonable conclusion at this point?

Figure out what’s juggling that might help you break the deadlock. Consider these kinds of things:

1. Do you require more data about the clients of your work and their standards for an effective outcome?
2. Do you require more data?
3. Are the correct people on your team? All group members should be patrons who can help you see the best solution based on their own knowledge and experience.
4. Or do you have too many individuals involved? Could a smaller core group work more efficiently and productively?
5. Do you have to test the decision before you achieve it?

Improve and evaluate

Collect feedback from individuals who were swayed by the results of your work. See what they think about how the result was implemented and communicated. Add this feedback to the information you already have in your decision diary. It could be precious in the future as you look back again at this decision process’s results. Periodically look at your results and process, using data you gathered before, during, and after your office work.

Notice where the means is effective and where you need to convert it to reach better decisions and do so more efficiently. Use the results of this analysis to enhance your decision-making process continually and the results you achieve using it.