Be Decisive AND Thoughtful

Memo to you...and ME!

One of the greatest pieces of advice for someone that is looking to be efficient is to "touch things once." This sage piece of advice tells us that when we get a message, we call someone back. When we get an email, we make our decision, respond and move on. It's appropriate and efficient.

And it's hard to do!

As a leader you want to be efficient. We want to lead by example and we want to get a lot done! That is what leaders do...right? But don't we also want to be thoughtful? Though our first impression is often right, there are decisions I don't want to make a snap decision on. I want to give each decision it's due.

But I think there is a happy medium. Though we want to be thoughtful (and we should be) with important decisions, we do need to keep things in our organization and our lives rolling. So here are some thoughts on how to be both decisive and thoughtful.

1) Make the easy decisions quickly. So many times we put off a call or email or decision that is unpleasant. We know the answer, we just put it off. With these...or with any easy decision...be swift and take care of it now!
2) Block out Distractions. Easier said than done, I know. But many times the reason we don't have time to give a decision "thoughtful examination" is because of distractions. Don't answer the phone while you are trying to come to this decision. Don't answer emails or texts. Get this decision made...then move on!

Good luck!