The
Importance of PRE-Decisive Leadership!
Many of
us will agree that effective leaders are decisive. One way or the other they
will make a decision which sets people, places, and things in motion. In my own
experience, there was nothing more frustrating than waiting on a decision from
higher up the leadership food chain so I have vowed to not delay too long when
my own team was waiting on me to weigh in on something where they needed
guidance.
One of
the reasons I believe effective leaders are timely decision makers is due to
the fact that they have made PRE-DECISIONS. This is a concept pastor and
author, Andy Stanley, writes about in his book, Next Generation Leader.
Essentially, when it comes to leading with character and integrity, the best
leaders have already made some key decisions.
They have
already decided on their GUIDING VALUES.
They have
already discovered what the MAIN THING is in their life and work.
They have
already decided on their DEAL BREAKERS in terms of what they will and will not
compromise.
They have
already decided to ALIGN their decisions with their VISION.
Since
effective leaders have already made such pre-determinations, then it is easy to
see why they appear so decisive. They know the RIGHT thing to do even when it
may be the DIFFICULT thing to do.
How can
we apply this to our own leadership practice? Let’s face it, the moment we are faced
with a moral dilemma or tough decision is not the time to be struggling with the
response. We should already know what our guiding principles are and respond
accordingly, otherwise, we could very easily go down the wrong path. Obviously,
we cannot control the events and circumstances that confront us, but we can
surely control our own responses when the push comes to shove. In order to do
this, though, we need to do some pre-work.
- What are your guiding values?
- What will you never compromise regardless of the benefits to do so?
- What is your vision for how you will live your life?
- What is the core mission of your work?
If you
can answer these and keep reminding yourself of the answers, then when the time
comes to make decisions, it will almost appear natural because such decisions become
an extension of ourselves. In other words, we define ourselves by the choices
we make.
As
always, if I can help you Get Better, Be Ready and LEAD OUT LOUD, I would love
to hear from you. Also, as a bonus, if you go to my Out Loud Strategies website
(www.outloudinc.com) and enter your contact information, I will
send you a FREE guide to establishing a mentoring initiative program in your
organization! Such an initiative would be critical in order to add value to
your organization!
Yours
in Leadership,
Bill
Faulkner
Co-Founder
– Out Loud Strategies
Independent
Coach, Speaker, and Trainer with the John Maxwell Team TM
Email = bill@outloudinc.com
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