I was reading Making Decisions by Ed Smith the other week and saw this:
A second rule of thumb: if someone says their job is ‘all about communication’ they are bad at decision-making. Interesting jobs are about making better decisions, decisions which then demand effective communication. It should be that way around: the primacy of the decision, leading to effective communication. It’s tempting for leaders to communicate far too much externally: they like to be ‘in the media’ but with no effect beyond devaluing their words.
Smith, Ed. Making Decisions (p. 124). HarperCollins Publishers.
It made me stop and realise we’re focusing too much on the ‘easier things’ in leadership development. People ‘like’ delivering ‘easy’ content about communication and relationships, etc. Much harder is challenging people’s ability to decide, and their traits and behaviours when their indecisiveness is laid bare. We don’t like indecisiveness; it’s a key factor in all four parts of the VUCA mnemonic.
How decisive are you? And what are you doing about it?
Lost and Desperate 