Indecision is the deadliest of them all…
How do you make decisions?
Are you a hard-headed decision maker? One who simply refuses to change direction once a decision is made?
Are you the indecisive worry-wart, filled with buyer’s remorse even prior to making the purchase?
Are you a “flip-flop’r”
From a recent trip I took to Gettysburg , where General Robert E. Lee’s decision to go through with what is known today as “Pickett’s Charge,” is still questioned today as to the validity of his thinking and decision-making abilities, to my most recent decision to retire from the Marine Corps after 20 years, during one of the worst economic times in history, I have questioned my own decisions in life often.
Life is chock full of decisions to be made, but more importantly… to be managed.
Some simply use intuition or initial feelings to make decisions. Malcolm Gladwell refers to this as rapid cognition in his book “BLINK“. Others prefer the 100% solution where every avenue of approach is dissected again and again until risk is mitigated to near zero. And some of us use what we call the 80% rule. This is especially helpful when time is of the essence.
Whatever decision approach you choose, as leaders we are often faced with the nay-sayers and the worry-warts constantly poking holes in your vision and degrading your confidence. John Maxwell’s article below from Success magazine illustrates ways in which we can stand firm and be confident of our decisions and most importantly, NOT GET MIRED in indecision.
Nike said it best: “Just do it!”
Making Good Decisions Better
John C. Maxwell April 6, 2010
Noted philosopher William James said that once a decision is made, you should stop worrying and start working. It’s not always what we know that makes it a good decision. It is what we do to implement and execute it that makes it a good decision… maybe even a great one!
Let me explain. On June 14, 1969, my wife Margaret and I got married. That was a good decision. But, 41 years later, I’m here to tell that good decision has become a great decision. It’s become great because of what we have done after we made the decision.
Too many people overrate decision making and underrate decision managing. There are two possibilities in making a good decision:
•Manage incorrectly and have average results.
•Manage correctly and have great results.
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