Leaders sometimes (often) have to make difficult decisions. Costly decisions. Sometimes those decisions cost them their positions or even friendships but it can be worth it for the right decisions.

The worst kind of leadership is paralysis – leadership unable to make a decision out of fear it might be the wrong one.

This is a fallacy that looks a little like this:

“I am a leader. I have to lead. Unfortunately if I lead it might get me removed from leadership/be unpopular/be painful. Therefore the best way to lead is to not lead…that way I can remain in leadership/not be unpopular/not hurt people in the process.”

Fear kills every good thing in leadership. Fear is not the same as caution…fear is the force that rises up out of an awareness of possible negative personal consequences and drives indecision and an endless cycle of what if scenarios that forever delay decisions.

On the surface, fear-based paralysis can be presented as wisdom. After all one should not rush into complex, costly decisions. One should take one’s time and seek advice. But there comes a time when the decision must be made.

Leadership can be a lonely place. Some decisions made out of necessity can drive people away. These are not fun decisions. The longer these decisions are delayed, the more they stack up. New, difficult choices pile in with the same consequences and if one is not careful, the tried and true method of delay and avoidance becomes the new methodology for dealing with tough choices.

Eventually you have a mountain of difficult decisions that are being avoided and, in order to keep up the appearance of doing something good, an increasing number of trivial decisions begin to get made instead. Decisions that take little time, cost a small amount of money, and often have high visibility and high impact.

Why deal with the impending budget crisis by implementing unpopular austerity when you can authorize an employee pizza party, put up a stop sign or approve construction of the small park in a new neighbourhood?

It looks like you are doing something while still finding a way to avoid the most important decisions.

The solution is not complex but also not painless. A deadline is set, info is gathered, and a choice is made. Very rarely, extenuating circumstances in the form of new, as yet unknown information for example, can come to light necessitating a delay…but one must develop the skill of determining what is truly a legitimate reason for delay versus falling into an endless cycle of indetermination.

For example – I need to build X at a cost of Y. Well after six months of research we have made a decision and are ready go only to learn that X requires a new feature we did not take into account. Well after a small delay to adjust Y we should be able to move ahead.

If one is not careful one can fall into the trap of an endless cycle where we need to build X at a cost of Y however after six months Y has become more costly and so we take six more months to readjust only to find Y has become more costly and so we take six more months to readjust only to find Y has become more costly and so we take six more months…you get the idea.

Some delays are self-fulfilling prophecies.

No, leadership is not easy. Sometimes it is not even sought out. Sometimes leadership is thrust on you due to circumstance. Hopefully you can rise tot he occassion.