When we think of great leadership, we often think of leaders who make big, bold decisions, thereby changing the world around them. Making quality decisions is a hallmark of leadership and it is hard to conceive of an Admired Leader who isn’t known for the decisions they make.
When it comes to extraordinary leadership; however, the power of making decisions is second only to the act of suffocating bad ones. If given the chance to breathe, bad decisions derail performance and undermine success with deadly speed and accuracy.
The best leaders know they must invest the time to kill bad ideas and proposals before they take hold. Pound-for-pound, preventing a bad idea from seeing the light of day may have even more long-term impact than making a good decision.
Too many leaders miss this. Good leaders are always on guard, serving as sentries to protect the team and organization from decisions that would weaken the hold on long-term success.
This is lonely work. Others don’t give credit for things that didn’t happen. Yet, the role of true leadership requires that we smother bad ideas and decisions before they can grow.
Don’t underestimate this essential act of leadership. Stand strong against poor thinking and flaccid ideas. Making quality decisions really matters, but the best leaders spend just as much time and effort to kill the bad ones.
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