The Best Decision
How important is it for leaders to be decisive? Consider these words from Theodore Roosevelt:
“In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing.”
Sometimes shooting from the hip, good leaders can make decisions quickly — often with incomplete data. And, yes, hasty decisions can cause problems. But making no decision at all can worsen an already-bad situation. I’ve decided I’m going to try to be more decisive in my day-to-day business as a leader and a team player.
What will you decide?
Susan Hendrich
Susan E. Hendrich 
I can’t decide which is worse…
A leader who can’t make decisions
OR
A leader who jumps on the first idea that comes his/her way.
I vaguely remember a concept of the “shotgun manager,” who just makes decisions in rapid-fire succession, literally shooting in the dark. This approach almost never works, and makes a leader seem weak and too-easily swayed.
But how about the guy who constantly says, “Let’s get a team together to discuss this,” and belabors the issue until the wheels fall off the project?
Which is worse?
Shooting in the dark or Waiting until dark to make decisions?
I cannot decide. Perhaps we need a committee.
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Susan,
I’ve been following your blog for some time now, and I’m detecting a theme — doing the right thing!
You post today reminds me of General Norman Schwarzkopf’s words, “You always know the right thing to do. The hard part is doing it.”
Here’s to the courage to do the right thing.
Jeanne
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