Leaders make decisions

Leadership means many things. As I’ve learned from John Maxwell, leadership means being able to do many things well - and forming a team to help you with things you don’t.

One of those things, is making decisions. In some sense, this is the defining characteristic of a leader; that others look to them for decisions. And so it follows that leaders must make decisions, and especially the most difficult ones.

This is easy to say, of course. Leaders in difficult situations have the very unenviable responsibility to make decisions, and to live with the consequences of those decisions.

This could mean having to deal with responses of anger or frustration. It could mean people losing jobs, or money, or reputation, or worse. It could mean facing immediate and negative consequences to the leader themselves. It is not easy to make decisions at all under stress, and under such weight it can be paralyzing.

But it has to be done.

A leader who does not make decisions is merely a figurehead. A leader who just agrees with others’ decisions is merely a puppet.

Of course, there are better and worse decisions. And there are ways to improve our decision-making capability and capacity. These can make a person a better leader.

But if the leader makes no decision, the decision-making process results in nothing.

Leaders must make decisions. Anything else is abdication.