Have you ever felt like saying, “Just make a decision!” to someone you work with who is ruminating for the fifth time on which way to go? Or maybe you have caught yourself in this mode of indecision? It is not a pleasant place to be and can turn into a frustrating detour on the road to success.
Successful people make decisions and have good judgment about which ones need more time or analysis versus those that can be made on the spot. I saw a video on Women Leaders years ago and remember Margaret Thatcher explaining how she decides what sandwich she will order for lunch much more quickly than a decision about a policy that will impact the country.
If you are fretting over little decisions then you are using up a lot of energy and time and this may lead to procrastination of bigger decisions that have a bigger impact. The lack of making a decision is making a default decision that equates to missed opportunities.
If it is a big decision then do your homework, weigh the costs and benefits and/or pros and cons, talk to a few people whose council you trust and then make a decision and move forward. Don’t look back, regret is a total waste of energy and spent by people on the road to disaster, not success. Learn from whatever path you take and then make another turn if your internal GPS is pointing you in that direction.
How do you successfully make decisions? Please share in a comment.
photo credits: nerovivo, purplemattfish
Paula, I laughed when I saw the title, thought you went home and wrote it after our meeting:-) It is always a challenge to make a decision – we all have so many options. When we have a group – we don’t want to step on anyone’s toes, but in order to move forward the consensus is needed and then move to the next step. Otherwise we never get through meetings:-) Same goes with our own lives – we have so many options. Sometimes, I get in the middle of so many things – it’s hard to find the path I think that God is leading me in – the picture of the railroad track is perfect. I think I might steal it for my What Should I Be When I Grow Up workshops. It hits the nail on the head. Have a great trip – thanks for your hard work and loyalty.
Thanks Kitty! Actually, I wrote this before the meeting and it is one of those posts that was rattling around in my head for a while. I agree that consensus is important for making good decisions in a group or team and I think we do this well on our NSA team!