Do you as a boss have trouble making decisions? Are you the type to procrastinate when the time to make a big decision comes, or do you simply decide not to decide? If you are coping-out when it comes to making choices for your sign business, you are doing more than just slowing down productivity; you are losing the confidence of your management team.
Managers notice when we as owners are having trouble making decisions, and while it is okay to take your time to examine all the facts before reaching a decision, the last thing you want to do is hem and haw. Being a leader people will want to follow means you have to make good decisions pretty consistently and without too much deliberation.
Read on for five tips on how to make better decisions:
1. Don’t be a perfectionist. Typical great leaders would prefer to turn in a project that is 80% complete several hours early, then hand in a 100% perfect one five minutes late. We’re not suggesting you plan to not do things completely in order to turn them in ahead of time, but rather that you stop waiting until you have all the information to start acting. Go ahead and jump in; you might flail around in the deep end for a bit, but if you trust yourself you’ll figure out how to float or swim before you sink.
2. Quiet your brain. Our brains often come up with things when we least expect it. Simply can’t remember the name of that movie you loved? Chances are it will randomly pop into your head out of the blue, while thinking of something completely different. The same is true when we are trying to make decisions. If you let your brain drift to something else, or deliberately focus on a different problem you allow it the opportunity to scan data that has been stored, searching for a solution for the problem at hand.
3. Don’t just problem solve. Problem solving sometimes involves decision making, but only making decisions when problems arise can be the downfall of your small business. Making decisions involves your ability to analyze, but it also calls on your gut feeling. While you do want to carefully review the facts, oftentimes the decision bases itself on the numbers, and on how you personally feel about the situation.
4. Be independent. Rather than wait for a committee or a longer chain of command to make a decision, sometimes you just have to act. This is especially true for small businesses owners, who often don’t have anyone else to report back, or answer to. In order to gain some input on your decision, surround yourself with several bright minds and ask questions such as, “What are your thoughts on this?” rather than, “What do you think I should do?” Use their thoughts to make a strong decision for your business.
5. Fess up. If you let yourself be guided down a wrong path by your gut, be the first to admit the mistake, and then quickly correct the error. Making a wrong decision, recognizing it, and taking steps to correct it will gain you more respect from your employees than if you make a habit of simply not making decisions. Are you a skilled decision maker? What tips do you recommend our readers know about in order to make quick, calculated decisions for their business? SIGNWarehouse.com
