Reasons to Be Decisive and Make Decisions

The number one stumbling block to progress in any field is the failure to make a decision.

Reasons Why Decisions Need To Be Made:

#1 Decision making gives direction.

Indecision leaves an individual, team or organization without direction. Without making a decision on where you want to go in life nothing can happen, you can't move on.

A leader or manager must constantly make management decisions to show his team what direction to take, what needs to be done and when. He must be able to make decisions for the benefit of his organization.If you get in your car with a list of possible destinations to drive to but haven't decided where you want to go, you have no idea which way to turn. Until you make the decision as to which destination you want to travel to you are going no where.

#2 Decision Making Starts Action

You can't go forward unless you decide to do so.You may want to go to the beach, go shopping, go on holiday or whatever but unless you actually decide to take action you won't go anywhere. I remember in a former job fellow team members saying of our boss "He can't make a decision". Leaders have to make decisions to keep the wheels turning. Individuals have to make decisions to act to keep their lives moving forward also.There is no room for procrastination.

#3 Decision Making Continues Progress.

Once action has been taken to start something decisions have to be continually made to keep moving forward. Indecision can stop progress in it's tracks.

All decisions have consequences one way or another.Deciding to do something means something will happen. Deciding not to do something also means something will happen.Sometimes the decision to take or not to take a certain action will have multiple consequences. Sometimes making a decision will mean a certain amount of risk taking or getting out of your comfort zone. All great leaders are willing to take a risk and if it turns out to be a wrong decision they take responsibility for it, admit their mistake and move on and make another decision. Nothing ventured is nothing gained! To continue to move forward you have to be willing to try different things, to change which may involve a certain amount of risk. Ultimately a decision has to be made there is no point putting it off.

#4 Decision Making Is Of The Essence

Procrastination merely delays progress.Too often matters are referred to a committee and it just becomes an excuse to delay making a decision.

Government departments are prime examples of this when investigations, research papers, trials, surveys, consultants etc are ordered causing major delays before projects can get off the ground.Government decisions are renowned to take a long time to be made.

In many cases time is of the essence and delaying decision making can have catosrophic effects it can even be life threatening.Some decisions need to be made in a split second, it is a matter of life or death, there is no time to think about it or put it to a committee.Some opportunities only present themselves once or for a very short time and failure to make decisions quickly means they are lost for ever often with far reaching consequences.

Decisions must be made to gain direction, to start progress, to continue progress and to capture the moment.