It may just be my own impetuousness and lack of patience, but to me, there is nothing more frustrating that dining out with the friend (you know who you are!) who insists on spending 15 minutes looking at a menu, asking 20 dumb questions of the waitstaff and still can’t decide what to eat! It’s not a life-or-death decision, people! But sadly, this type of indecision isn’t limited to dining houses and cafes – we see it in our professional lives, in government administration and in business.
Marcus Tullius Cicero was a Roman statesman, lawyer and philosopher who famously said, “More is lost by indecision than wrong decision”, and I couldn’t agree more! Of course we always want to make the “right” decision, but there are times where we can never be entirely sure – especially when there are moving parts that are simply beyond our control. While there are situations when it is best to move slowly, in our professional lives at least, decisions simply have to be made in a timely way, or the consequences can be dire.
We don’t need to look far for examples of the price of procrastination – what price will Brisbane pay for taking 1340 days from when the games were won to make a decision on an Olympic Stadium?
Analysis paralysis is real. And its negative consequences go beyond delay – opportunities will be missed, competitors can steal a march, financial loss is a likelihood and reputation damage can be irreversible. Internally, the impact on stakeholders can also be significant, with an impact on morale, status in the organisation can fall, and culture can be damaged.
There can be many reasons why people procrastinate and some of those are difficult to control. A fear of failure, lack of confidence, imposter syndrome and even perfectionism can all contribute to decision-making stagnation. Of course, so can a lack of motivation or competence.
When it’s time to make an important decision there are a few steps that work for me; maybe they will for you as well.
- Get as much relevant data and statistics as are available
- Consult where there are subject matter experts who know more than your experience alone can tell you, and diligently do your research
- Bounce any concerns (but avoid decision making by committee)
- Risk manage the decision by mapping potential consequences – the pros and cons of each option
- Thinking big picture, do what you think is in the best interests of all concerned
You won’t always get the decisions entirely right; so, don’t beat yourself up. Just learn from the experience and be re-assured that you’re not Robinson Crusoe.
More on this topic in the Through Your Lens podcast.
