From a management standpoint, there are certain traits and characteristics of an organization which absolutely drive me up a tree. One of those characteristics is the inability, reluctance, or unwillingness at any particular time for managers to pull the trigger with respect to decision making.
As I was thinking about that, it also occurred to me the same holds true in life itself.
At any particular time, there are really only three possible decisions: a decision to do something, a decision not to do something, and a decision not to make a decision at this particular time.
Each of those decisions represents a positive decision.
On the other hand, what I find, from time to time and with particular individuals, is that they’re not prepared to decide to do something, and they’re not necessarily willing to decide not to do something. In other words, they just simply languish with a particular issue hanging over them.
As a result, their lives back up with sewage constantly clogging more and more of their lives without ever cleaning the slate or flushing out the pipes.
The decision to do something is self-evident. You gather the information and make a decision to do it. The decision not to do something is also relatively self-evident. You affirmatively make a decision not to do something.
The problem many people have is they tend to not make a conscious decision – one way or another. Instead, they simply do not decide at all. In other words, they’re not deciding to do it, they’re not deciding not to do it, and they’re not even deciding not to decide.
What’s worse is that when I question them on what it is they need in order to make a decision, they don’t know because they haven’t truly made a decision not to make a decision.
It drives me batty. The decision making process is really not that tough. An issue comes up that needs resolution. In order to make a decision, certain information is needed, one portion of which could, by the way, be the timing.
You gather the information you need. If you have enough information to make the decision, you make the decision. If you don’t have enough information to make the decision, you determine what information you need in order to make that decision, and then you go out and get that information.
And if, after all that information is received, you still can’t make a decision, you make a decision to not make a decision at this point in time, at least until such time as … [insert your own conditions]. In other words, you make a decision not to decide because the timing is not right, because circumstances might change, or for any number of additional things.
The point is, however, that by deciding not to decide until something else takes place is a conscious and affirmative act.
If I take a look at every time our organization has gotten into a malaise of some type, it is simply by virtue of the fact that individuals inside the organization have been unwilling, unable, unempowered, or reluctant to simply pull the trigger.
It has sometimes been said that the essence of an entrepreneur is the entrepreneur’s willingness to make a decision. I think that gives way too much credence to the entrepreneur. The essence of effectiveness is the ability to pull the trigger, regardless of whether you’re an entrepreneur, spouse, or parent. Effectiveness requires decision making and decision making requires the ability to pull the trigger efficiently and effectively.