How to make better decisions

The difference between a good and great leader can often come down to the ability to make the right decisions on a consistent basis. In my experience, leaders face daily decision-making calls across a wide variety of situations.

Depending on the size of your team, these can range from the small and inconsequential, which can be dealt with relatively easily – right through to the larger decisions which have a huge impact on both the company and its employees.

The senior leadership team at PageGroup Asia Pacific recently spent time with motivational speaker Grant 'Axe' Rawlinson, who shared some valuable insights on decision making. Here are some of the key takeaways.

Work out the process

Remember that the act of making a decision is not just about arriving at the best conclusion – it also speaks to your company’s culture and the values you hold. As such, it’s important at times to consider the method you’ll use to make the decision, well before starting to work out what’s best. This can essentially come down to three options: using your intuition and experience; making it a team-based decision in discussion with your colleagues; or using a critical thinking process to help arrive at the right decision. Particularly with larger issues, consider the methodology before rushing in to make a decision.

Don’t always trust your first instinct

Many of us really trust our own instincts when making decisions. During the session, we were asked to make a decision on a number of different situations. We were given 10 seconds to make our own instinctive decision before discussing it with our team. In the majority of cases, the original solo decision was changed after a discussion with colleagues and a deeper analysis of the facts and scenario. Of course, quick decisions are often required, but taking that bit longer to help sense-check it can make a real difference.

When in doubt, return to your values

Often we face a situation where we can’t decide the best way forward. We had several during the session and were instructed to loop back to our team values to see which decision fitted them best. You can employ team values (around teamwork or ambitions), or personal values (such as integrity or people-first). I personally found that this made a real difference – and often helped the group to make the right decision.

People Communication is key

Lastly, a lesson from my own leadership orbit. Many times we have to take on decisions that will have a serious impact on our people. Often leaders must step away momentarily and make these decisions for the sake of the company. Yet once made, it’s important to return to your team to discuss the announcement and its impact. In my experience, people can usually live with a tough decision – but if it’s delivered in a poor and insensitive manner, the impact on the individuals and your team can be even worse.

Of course, none of us as leaders get everything right all the time – and often you only know with the benefit of hindsight whether you’ve made the right call. Either way, I look forward to using the ideas above in practice: and to reflect on them with my team and client partners. I’d love to hear from you on how you make some of your hardest decisions – and whether your own methods have changed over time.

Should you take further interest in this topic, please connect with Andy on LinkedIn or contact us.