Most leaders aren’t indecisive. They just wait too long to decide.
They get bogged down in collecting and analyzing data and asking everyone for their view. Instead of making a call, they keep talking about the choices ad nauseam.
When everyone is ready for them to settle the matter, they prefer to keep discussing the options. That isn’t indecision. It’s slow walking the decision process.
In contrast, indecisive leaders can’t make up their minds and refuse to make a call.
They typically focus too much attention on the possible options and the risk involved with each choice. They kick up a lot of dust and then declare that they can’t see clearly. So, they keep on talking to postpone any action.
Indecisive leaders avoid committing, even when enough information exists. They like to reopen the same question in a continuous loop to avoid making a call.
To be sure, some leaders are plagued by indecision. But leaders who simply take too long to make a call are far more common.
By turning opinions and data over and over, they keep the discussion going too long. Their intention is to make a great decision, but by taking too long to get there, they often miss opportunities and drive everyone nuts in the process.
Slow decision-makers generally have one of two reasons for moving at a snail’s pace, sometimes both.
First, they believe that more information and data are always superior to less.
By waiting to gather more or missing information, they will be in a position to make a better choice. This belief often makes them greedy, delaying the decision just in case new information comes to light.
Second, their desire for more buy-in from the team slows everything down.
They ask focused, not endless questions, wanting everyone to feel comfortable with the decision. They end up waiting way past the point where consensus has already been achieved.
By recycling the decision until everyone is in support, they operate at the speed of a glacier, or so it seems to team members waiting for a decision.
Offsetting these weaknesses by setting decision deadlines, classifying decisions as one- and two-way, and limiting the number of advocates are touchstones for improvement.
But there exists a less obvious way to speed up decisions and fight against the bias of too much information and complete buy-in: Decide BEFORE you gather information or seek subscription.
By forming a provisional decision early and then gathering information and inputs to disconfirm it, leaders can combat the delay that feels so comfortable.
Once a leader lands on an early or target decision and begins testing it, the team stops option collecting and focuses on gathering the feedback they need to confirm or disconfirm it. Conviction and subscription typically increase in the process.
Moving from exploration to testing doesn’t allow for the continual stream of information and data that leaves leaders uncomfortable and undecided.
When leaders recognize a tendency to slow-walk decisions, the best idea is to decide on a direction early and then use data to challenge it, not postpone or delay it.
From this vantage, data and team member viewpoints help to stress-test a decision, not stall it.
