Your Job as a Leader Is to Make Decisions
Tell me if this has happened to you.
You’re in a meeting with your team, discussing an important question.
The path forward isn’t obvious, and you, like the rest of your team, aren’t quite sure what to do next.
So you pose the question. “How should we proceed?”
You’re greeted by silence.
All eyes are either looking away…or looking right at you.
***
That should be the moment you realize: the decision is yours to make.
CEOs, Presidents, people who run the business. I don’t care what you call them.
Your job is to make decisions.
You have the role you have because you bear the responsibility of your choices.
You get compensated to take the risk.
The folks below you won’t always have the answers. They should provide you with information, yes. Data, yes. Context and their expert opinion, yes. And in “most” situations, you should be able to rely on them having the answers as well, but not always…
Those eyes turning to you aren’t symbolic.
Your team is literally looking to you to lead them.
Sometimes, believe it or not, they want you to make the decision.
Make it.
***
Being decisive earns respect—even from those who disagree with you.
If you’re building the right culture in your company, your teammates will all get on board once the choice is made.
Waffling is what erodes trust. If you don’t make big decisions, the company can’t move forward.
That’s hard. I get it.
As your business grows, decisions are scarier. There’s more at stake. The choice often involves pain.
And it’s impossible to please everyone. So my advice?
Stop trying.
Make the right choices for your organization. Your role isn’t to make everybody happy at the individual level.
It’s to build an amazing business, which, yes, includes a culture where the right people can thrive.
***
It’s easy to lead a team when you know exactly what to do next.
But great leaders are almost always born from adversity and uncertainty.
When your team turns to you for guidance, will you be willing to step up?
The choice, of course, is yours.
If you aren’t sure how to build your decision-making skills, let us know here and we’ll send you some information.
