\u2022 Stay or go?
\n\u2022 Expand or consolidate?
\n\u2022 Rent or buy?
\n\u2022 Have a baby or get more sleep?
\n\u2022 Wait or act?
\n\u2022 Say nothing or speak up?
\n\u2022 Android or iPhone?<\/p>\n
It\u2019s long been said that any decision is better than no decision at all. But\u00a0decisiveness, like so many admired attributes, is easier said than done.<\/p>\n
Of course, when the risks are low and the options are black and white, it\u2019s not\u00a0so hard to be decisive. But more often there\u2019s a lot of grey as we grapple with a\u00a0myriad of uncertainties, alternatives, a lack of full information, and a future\u00a0that is anything but predictable.<\/p>\n
If only you could know for sure that the decision you make is the right one,\u00a0worthy of the trade-offs and risks involved. Waiting a little longer, until you have\u00a0greater certitude and fewer doubts, can seem like the smartest, and safest,\u00a0thing to do.<\/p>\n
But is it?<\/p>\n
It\u2019s a general rule in psychology that for people to make the decision to change\u00a0something has to hurt more now than it hurts to change it. But what if right\u00a0now you aren\u2019t hurting that much (yet), with no pressing \u2018pain point\u2019? What if\u00a0the status quo isn\u2019t \u2018so bad\u2019 and the potential upside may not be\u00a0worth the\u00a0potential downside?<\/p>\n
\nWaiting a little longer can seem safer, but is it?<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
The truth is that you wouldn\u2019t be human if you never wrestled with\u00a0indecisiveness. But if you\u2019re waiting for certainty before you commit to a\u00a0course of action, you can spend your life (career, happiness, business\u2026 )\u00a0on permanent hold. It happens. As legendary automotive executive, Lee\u00a0Iacocca, once said, \u201cDecisiveness is the one word that makes a\u00a0good manager.\u201d A good leader too.<\/p>\n
In my twenties I had to decide whether to leave my job working at a large\u00a0global consulting firm to spend three years working in Papua New\u00a0Guinea. Ranked as one of the most dangerous countries in the world at\u00a0the time, there were plenty of reasons not to take it. But newly married\u00a0and armed with a sense of adventure, my husband and I figured \u201cWhat\u00a0the heck?!\u201d It may not have been an obvious career-building move (a\u00a0few warned us it would be just the opposite) but we felt it would be a\u00a0unique experience that reflected our value to forge our own path in the\u00a0world.<\/p>\n
While our time living in Port Moresby had it\u2019s fair share of challenges\u00a0(which I wrote about in my latest book Brave), it was also incredibly\u00a0rewarding. When I left PNG nearly three years later, I was far more clear\u00a0about what I wanted to do with the rest of my life than I was before.\u00a0Even today I look back on that chapter of my life, and our marriage,\u00a0with enormous fondness and gratitude for what we gained from it.<\/p>\n
Decisiveness does that. Even when our decisions don\u2019t go perfectly to\u00a0plan, we still learn a lot about what works, about ourselves, about\u00a0life and about how to live it better<\/p>\n
\nEven when our decisions don’t go perfectly to plan, we still learn through them.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
The Latin root of the word decision<\/em> – cis or cid – means to ‘cut’ or ‘kill.’\u00a0You see it in words such as homicide and scissors. Since we live in a\u00a0world of infinite choice, abundant opportunity and endless decisions, to\u00a0be effective requires learning how to ‘cut’ or ‘kill off” options on a\u00a0regular basis. Sometimes those options are very attractive (like a\u00a0high paying job or social status). All of them have their own pay off\u00a0(security, money, familiarity, low risk, adventure, certainty). Eliminating them can be painful on multiple levels.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s why being decisive amid uncertainty is an act of personal courage. It\u00a0demands having faith in yourself that whatever unfolds as a result of the\u00a0decision you make, you can handle it and you will benefit from it. That singular act of faith can ease your anxiety about\u00a0the future and make you more powerful in shaping it. The truth is that\u00a0there is no \u2018perfect\u2019 decision. Giving up trying to make one can spare you\u00a0a lot of unnecessary stress.<\/p>\n
It may sound counterintuitive, but putting off a decision to change the\u00a0status quo doesn\u2019t make you more secure, it makes you less so. Trying\u00a0to avoid uncertainty by sticking your head in the sand and pretending\u00a0everything will just stay as it is puts you at risk of being left behind as\u00a0the world marches steadily on around you. Because if there\u2019s one thing\u00a0you can count on, it will.<\/p>\n
\nWhen you\u2019re brave enough to make a decision,<\/strong>
\n you\u2019ll find\u00a0the courage to make the decision right.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\nDecisiveness fuels personal power in ways that procrastination never\u00a0can. So rather than trying to predict the future, focus on making the\u00a0best decisions you can right now, with what you know now. If the future\u00a0doesn\u2019t unfold as predicted, or plans go pear shaped, you will adjust\u00a0accordingly. Just never let fear of making a wrong decision keep you\u00a0from making a right one. To quote the 11th century Jewish philosopher\u00a0Maimonides, \u2018The risk of a wrong decision is preferable to the terror of\u00a0indecision<\/em>\u2019.<\/p>\n
As I wrote in Brave<\/strong>, the cost of indecisiveness can be steep \u2013 just look at\u00a0how many leaders, businesses, careers and people have derailed because\u00a0of it.<\/p>\n
Life rewards action, not indecision.<\/p>\n
The best way to build decisiveness is to start where you are with the next\u00a0decision you face. By all means, do your homework, weigh the trade-\u00a0offs, and calculate the risks. But then trust your gut instinct to guide you\u00a0forward, even if it\u2019s on to new ground that takes you out of your comfort\u00a0zone. Because when you\u2019re brave enough to make a decision, you\u2019ll find\u00a0the courage to make the decision right.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019d like support in being more decisive in your career and life, take\u00a0the 10 Day Train The Brave\u00a0Challenge<\/strong> at Train The Brave Challenge<\/a>.<\/p>\n