Have you ever been out to eat at a restaurant with a friend or two, and when the waiter or waitress comes over to take your order there’s always the one person who just can’t make up their mind about what they want? I have a friend who, every time we go out to eat, always hesitates and cannot make a decision. By the way, I can only use this as an example because he and I are close friends and tease each other often. That being said, it’s pretty funny to watch him try to order because he always second guesses and looks around to others for confirmation on what to order, even though we’d already decided and confirmed one, five, and ten minutes prior. I’ve learned to just order for the group to save us all five minutes.

Fork in the Road

I know it’s a small example, but it reflects the larger picture. Ordering food at a restaurant is a microcosm of other instances in life when tough decisions need to be made. Being a decision maker is an important part of being a leader. John C. Maxwell says “Not all good decision makers are leaders, but all good leaders are decision makers.” It’s a great quote and 100% true. If you can’t make decisions then you’re stuck. You can’t go anywhere. It’s like coming to a fork in the road and just standing there staring. Yes, there may be, and quite often in life there are, many options to choose from. But that’s life, decision after decision, day after day. The important thing is whether you make those decisions, how you make those decisions, and what you want to come from those decisions.

The part of decision making that is so challenging is looking at the potential outcomes of each decision and weighing these outcomes against one another. Sometimes looking at the consequences of decisions isn’t the best way to make them, but that’s how I’ve been trained growing up in business, so I do take that in consideration. When making decisions there may be undesired outcomes, but those are the tough choices that have to be made. Making a decision, any decision, is almost always better than not making a decision at all. Rare is the occasion when you don’t make a decision and everything works out well.

For Better or Worse, Make a Decision

A few years ago, I was in an extremely difficult position. I had to make a decision on whether to continue a relationship with someone I’d been close to for a long time, or to end it. I thought about it all day, everyday, for several weeks. I just couldn’t make a decision. I did the worst possible thing I could do, nothing. I felt handcuffed. I didn’t want to give up on the relationship, but I didn’t see how it could continue. I thought everything would work itself out if I just waited, but it didn’t. I didn’t take initiative to commit to the relationship, nor did I take initiative to end the relationship. I wasn’t ready to handle the consequences of either choice. Looking back on it now I was very immature, but, more importantly, I lacked the leadership to make a decision and commit to it, for better or worse.

Every person makes hundreds and thousands of decisions every single day. Some may be on a more subconscious level than others and take a split second to make, while others take thought, time, and discussion to solve. We all make poor decisions at times and we all make great decisions at times. The important thing is to make a decision.

That experience taught me the importance of being a decision maker. Never again will I not make a decision, no matter how difficult the consequences may be. Leaders need to be decision makers, for leadees and followers look to them for answers. When there is a question to be asked or decisions to be made, leaders must asses the situation and make the best possible decision with integrity and good faith. If you make a difficult decision and you truly trust that you made the best decision you could, that’s all you can ask for. Have confidence and faith in that decision. Your confidence and belief in the decision is passed on to others. If they trust in and believe in you then they will trust in and believe in your decision.

I think its human nature to put-off making tough decisions. We don’t want to face the unpleasant consequences of our choices so we procrastinate or don’t take any action at all hoping the problem will go away. Unfortunately, tough decisions don’t just disappear if you ignore them. If you think they do, you’re lying to yourself. I learned this the hard way, it cost me a relationship. Take it from me; making a decision, any decision, no matter how difficult it may be, is better than not making any decision at all.