Leaders Are Decision Makers
Sometimes things don’t turn out as expected, and the attitude we take in those moments is the most important thing we can take care of. Check this out: Suppose you’re traveling from home to work in your car as you do every morning and suddenly realize you forgot your wallet at home and have no money in your pocket. The thing is you’re on time to an important meeting.
What do you do? Do you head to work anyway and ask a coworker for a loan that day? Do you go back home to pick up your wallet? Do you call your son to bring you the wallet to your work? Do you skip lunch?
The way you solve that problem says a lot about you. Ok, this is a “minor problem”, but if you pay close attention to your way out of it, you can learn more about yourself. And your approach towards life.
Going back to our wallet problem let’s take a look at the options: If you’re near the office you won’t go back home, and you should have to ask a coworker for a daily loan, even though you don’t like to ask for loans. On the other hand, if you’re not that far from home, you can head back and pick up the wallet, call back to the office and tell them you’ll be late. For the sake of simplicity, let’s stick with these two options.
The first option, helps us to make it to the meeting on time, but it will be necessary to ask someone for a loan. With the second option, we won’t ask for a loan, but we should have to be able to apologize and probably accept a bad comment from the boss. Each option demands different way outs, but both of them have to be faced. The important thing is, once you’ve made a decision, you should stay with it, and move ahead, move forward. If the decision turns out to be wrong, it’s probably because you didn’t have all the information at your hands, or didn’t give it the proper thought. If that’s the case, the lesson should be learnt.
Believe it or not you need to have courage to face those decisions, and that my friends is what a leader has. What will your attitude will be in that situation? My call is: take it as a learning experience. When presented with options, sometimes take the hard road, take it as a mini-mini-boot camp for your problem solving skills. Remember, your problem solving skills are honed every single day when you face these kind of situations.
Your problem solving capacity is an ability you should train as often as you can. Leaders are known for taking the best options, not the easiest, or the hardest, but the best ones. You can only take the best options if you know you can solve the problems you’re faced with no matter how hard they are. And only if you know 100% where you’re headed to a.k.a. “What’s your vision?”.
It’s easy to take the best option when you know where you’re going.
LEADERSHIP ACTIONS
1. Next time you’re faced with options. Take one you’re not so comfortable with. I’m not saying take the hardest, I’m saying take one that helps you strecht yourself a little more than usual.
2. See how it turned out, and notice how you feel after solving the problem or situation.
3. Next time you deal with something difficult again, remember the good feeling you felt when you solved the previous problem and take the best option, not the easiest for you, but the best option to solve the problem.
Latest News About Leadership
Sun, 05 Feb 2012 11:08:43 -0800
Tony Abbott is preparing for a ?leadership showdown?? Is someone challenging him for leadership of the Liberal Party? Or is he switching to the ALP and challenging Gillard for leadership of the ALP?
Windsor warns Labor over leadership talk
Sun, 05 Feb 2012 16:12:10 -0800
Cross-benchers and the Greens say Labor risks government if leadership speculation continues.
Swan Backs Gillard Over Possible Australian Leadership Challenge
Sun, 05 Feb 2012 05:58:28 -0800
Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard has the backing of her Labor Party caucus, according to Treasurer Wayne Swan, amid speculation that Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd is considering a leadership challenge.
Leadership on agenda
Sun, 05 Feb 2012 02:53:05 -0800
JULIA Gillard will try to quell bubbling discontent about Labor leadership at today's caucus brainstorming session.
Forbes Leadership Highlights of the Week: Set for Super Sunday
Sun, 05 Feb 2012 05:47:46 -0800
With the biggest sports event of the year upon us this week, Karl Moore drew leadership inspiration from both Tom Brady and Eli Manning with "Know Your Teammates: Leadership Lessons from the Super Bowl Quarterbacks." Lisa Arthur looked beyond both those stars with her "Super Bowl MVP Prediction: No, Not Brady or Manning. It's Social Media." Dov Seidman let us know who?also neither Brady nor ...
8 comments
leaders need to build participation into their decisions making decisions inclusive and belonging to all to ensure emotional committment to the decision, execution with ease and effectiveness leading to higher organisational productivity minimising the losses and be a good corporate citizen, keeping people together at all times as part of the grand retention strategies. yes abilitiy to take and offer quick, intelligent, strategically appropriate decisions is appreciated by all to be fragranced with emotional intelligence through people participation through shared feelings and ideas enhancing the ownership in the decision making process, not just putting a stamp of participation by assembling the people and informing them with some stray looking participation – needs to motivate people to really participate with his exclusive facilitation skills winning long lasting committement of ione and all in the organisational family.
regards,
kshantaram
If I am faced with the afor-mentioned problem of forgetting my wallet,my choice of the two options would be based on the kind of policy that rules in my place of work.The cordiality.I would also put into cosideration my relationship in the place of work.
Okey
Thats quite an interesting subject Ken, as I was reading your article I was faced with an almost similar situation, a situation that required my attention, I feel proud of the option that I chose because the results were fantastic. But one thing for sure make no mistake, my attitude and behavior is being nurtured on this site.
Thanks for the god work Ken
Orly
In this kind of situation I really choose to report to work if in the first place my presence is very much important. Afterall, anything that concern money while at work and in my going home will not be a very big problem as I see it. People who needs my money I think can be easily persuaded especially if they know my status. What is important is that if there is a big deal with my presence at work must be accomplished.
Orly
In itself, ability of decision making requires a lot of afford from the leader: analyzing the problem, big patience and solving the problem. One interesting thing is with the help of these problems we can see how our leader behave himself in these situations. And we can see with whom we’re working…
Best regards,
Nasiba A.A
The most imporant thing is the ability to take a decision, good or bad, based on the inputs available at the moment rather than to remain confused and not able to make up one’s mind.It is a learning experience and time would only tell whether the decision taken was good or bad.So be bold and decide now.That the sign of a good leader.
Physically, the situation may lack solution, leader should have the mind of SAVETY RESULT AND ANSWER.
leadership requires vision.to solve any problem through easiest or hardest way is no matter.if vision is clear then decision will be right and quick.
Leave a Comment