Character Quality - Decisiveness - from A Book in Time

Published on 18 November 2022 at 06:52

Be Decisive

9 - Decisiveness

Decisiveness is the ability to confidently make a decision with precision and stand firm in your selection. This is not an easy task to accomplish, yet it is imperative to develop this skill as a leader. It is a necessary part of your role, encompassing skillful deliberation and prompt delivery.

Skills Needed for Decisiveness:

Courage. You must be brave to take on the serious and important role of being an ultimate decision-maker. It also takes courage to do the right thing in all circumstances. Sometimes people will be in opposition and create difficult barriers. It is vital to have the courage to always do the right thing, despite opposition, and follow through with each decision. And it also takes fortitude to stand behind your decision once it has been made. Do not waver.
Wisdom. You must be able to draw from experience. Be wise from your experience, yet also draw on lifelong learning. You should be a continuous student in the school of life. Continue to educate yourself in all ways possible, learning from books, online sources, and successful people you know. Always confirm that your chosen sources are reputable and applicable to your situation. Never stop learning.
Patience. You must have patience to deal with circumstances surrounding the decision, including possible results and people affected by the decision. Not everyone will be pleased with the answer. Patience must be enabled and present to respond to some potential fallout, unforeseen consequences, or from unsettled people. Or perhaps the timing is delayed or advanced. Show tolerance throughout each step of every decision-making opportunity.
Preprogrammed values. To have a quick and particular response, you must clearly understand your values from which to deduce your answer. All responses should be aligned to who you are, and that is defined in your values. Preprogram your mind as defined in Elevate Your Mind to Success for responses to align automatically with your belief system. Once a permanent part of your thought process, it will be second nature, and the correct responses will be on autopilot.
Confidence. You must be confident and secure with who you are, your position, and the projects you undertake. Aligning them all with your values provides the confidence that you are doing the right thing and making the right choices. Do not give way to peer pressure or intimidation from manipulation. These are tactics used by insecure people who are not confident enough to believe in what they represent. They want to con and force others to agree with them so they feel better about their choices. Making decisions in the right way and for the right reasons will build confidence in your decision-making abilities.
Flexibility. While it is important to be decisive and make an unwavering decision, the result may not always be the answer you wanted or expected. Be flexible and have a plan of revision if adjustments need to be made for a resultant successful outcome. Sometimes a decision may need to be made immediately before all the facts or information are present. You must deduce the best choice at present with the content you have. Be willing to accept this and be prepared to make the necessary changes while keeping a level head when appropriate and available.
Determination. Be determined to follow through with the decision despite all opposition. Know your goal and what you stand for. Be resolute in achieving the goal you are working towards, and allow your drive and passion to drive you to deliberate and sound, value-based decision-making with intention.