Make Better Decisions By Reggie McNeal

Leaders Are Judged On Their Decisions

People evaluate leaders based on the leader’s decisions, not on their intentions. Effective leaders know how to make decisions, when, and what decisions must be made. They consistently demonstrate sound judgment. While they don’t always make the right decisions, they do so often enough that they enjoy significant accomplishments with their leadership agendas and gain important credibility with their followers.

Elements of Good Decision-Making

Competent leaders consider four key elements when making decisions. They may not proceed through these elements in a linear analysis; they usually work on several concerns simultaneously. Leaders may not know how to deal with each component, mainly if their decision-making style is highly intuitive. However, great leaders did not arrive at their level of decision-making competence without paying attention to these requirements.

Ask the Right Questions

Answering the wrong question, even precisely, doesn’t accomplish anything; it keeps leaders and organizations engaged in counterproductive pursuits with potentially disastrous results. The ability to ask the right questions requires the leader to spend more time thinking beyond the presenting problems, peering under the hood to see the real issues involved. They must be willing to challenge the status quo and ruthlessly analyze the situation and its results.

Get the Right Information

Leaders can make poor decisions if they lack adequate information or ignore the available information. The causes of this mistake range from a lack of intelligence about what’s going on inside and outside the organization to the leader’s mishandling of available information. Too many leaders forego acquiring valuable information because their mouths are more open than their ears. They don’t listen to the people around them or refuse to hear anything that does not buttress their already made-up minds.

Practice the Right Timing

There are the right times to consider issues and the correct times to make moves. Conversely, even the right issue tackled at the wrong time can prove unproductive or cause resistance. There is no formula for great timing. But it is not guesswork. Leaders skilled in this element are wired into their situations while aware of outside forces and developments impacting their organization. Leaders adept at timing pay attention to the voices around them and the voice within. They know how to test the water, sniff the wind, and commit just enough to gauge reaction before committing it all. They risk, but they do not gamble.

Involve the Right People

Sometimes, the right intentions of leaders fail because the right people do not get involved in the decision-making process. The following categories must be considered: key leaders, legitimizers (those influential people in the organization whose stamp of approval is essential to success), veto holders (influential obstructionists), and implementers (the people impacted by the decision who will be doing the work and making things happen). The larger the number of people affected by the decision, the more work must be done to ensure the decision-making process is inclusive.

Debriefing Decisions

Significant decision-making doesn’t stop with having the correct elements. It also requires evaluating the decision-making process itself and its outcomes. The best leaders learn from their decision-making performance. They debrief their decisions, examining their thinking and other ingredients. This practice is not occasional or episodic; it is a routine part of their leadership.

Debriefing decisions involves asking a series of questions. This investigation can be conducted individually or in a team setting, especially if the team is involved in the decision or its implementation. The questions closely parallel the concerns identified as critical for making good decisions.

The debriefing questions might be:

• Why did I (or we) have to make this decision? Some leaders make decisions that should be left to others, over-implicating themselves into the situation, thereby using up valuable leadership capital that could be saved for more critical issues. This overinvolvement might result from the leader’s lack of good delegation, inadequate or incompetent staff, or the need for control.
• Did I (or we) answer the right question?
• Was the timing right?
• Did I (or we) get the right people involved?
• Did I (or we) act or react? This is the assessment of leadership psychology at work in decision-making. Were hot buttons being pushed, and wrong motives at play?
• Did I (or we) generate enough options?
• What outcomes did I (or we) achieve?

Great leaders know how crucial good decision-making is. That’s why they relentlessly practice making better decisions. It becomes a leadership and life discipline for them.

####

Reggie McNeal is a Christian thought leader. For over thirty years, he has dedicated himself to helping everyday people and other leaders pursue more intentional lives. His professional experience is wide-ranging, including serving as a denominational executive, congregational leader, leadership coach, and founding pastor of a new church. He has also lectured and taught as adjunct faculty for multiple seminaries, served as a church ministry consultant, and advised in the business sector.

Enjoy the entire Seven-Week Series – Practicing Greatness

1. Self-Awareness and Why It’s Critical
2. Self-Management is Critical to Success
3. Self-Development in Your Ministry Plan
4. What Mission Are You On?
5. Make Better Decisions
6. Who Do You Belong To?
7. The Discipline of Aloneness

---

SPRING TERM IS NOW OPEN FOR ENROLLMENT!

---

Whether you’re a customer or considering MinistryWorks, they are here to help. You can ask questions, receive a quote, and request additional resources. Whatever’s on your mind, they are here to help you!

LEARN MORE