Every leader appreciates that stress-free decision-making is a key component of growth. More so, decisions shape your career and define history. Decisions determine your pedigree and lead to your greatest victories or your vilification. We judge our best leaders at the worst of times. We scrutinise their ability to make high-impact decisions quickly. Usually while they are under pressure, and in a complex and uncertain environment.
To reach the height of your career aspirations, stress-free decision-making must develop as early as possible. While Navy Seals embrace a 3-Step Decision process:
- Gather Input
- Decide When to Decide, and
- Be Willing (and Ready) to Course Correct
The business leader’s landscape is like a battlefield. Whether you’re a manager or business owner, the terrain is a political minefield of conflicting agendas. Any one decision may rouse the rebels. Shareholders, department heads, staff, unions, governing bodies all have differing goals and rules. The job of making decisions is a balance point between achievements and casualties.
Making laser-fast decisions requires one decision first.
Jeff Bezos bares a reputation in Amazon of making laser-fast decisions. His first decision determines if the decision is a one-way or two-way door. Two-way doors are decisions that have little real consequence. You can always change your mind and walk back through the door. One-way doors are the opposite. Once you go through, you can never go back — at least not without significant consequences. Bezos relies on a simple framework to make decisions. He rations overthinking and instils more clarity and confidence. Bezos believes it’s costly to wait too long with two-way door decisions. He figures that it’s better to go ahead and make the decision than waste precious time. If it happens to be wrong, you can always go back and do a Navy Seal course correction. You’ll still be moving through life much more quickly, allowing you to focus on other areas of your business(es).
Great decisions need all three brains.
The greatest recipes come from unusual combinations. Take the topic of decision-making. Now add three experts in the areas of the gut-brain, the heart-brain and the mind-brain. Enter Dr. Arun Dhir MD, a GI Surgeon and gut specialist. Dada Nabhaniilananda a Monk and an intuitive specialist. Finally, R!k Schnabel a Brain Untrainer and expert on the mind and predictive behaviour.
All agree that while most decisions utilise the cephalic brain or head brain. Their decisions so-often deny the cardiac or heart brain and the enteric or gut brain. This is why overwhelm and procrastination stifle many decision makers.
For this reason, Dhir, Nabhaniilananda and Schnabel are running The Leadership Edge. A retreat for decision makers to hone their decisive skills. The retreat will be a combination of education and implementation, coupled with some restorative activities. For more information visit: the Leader’s Edge Retreat Website or watch the video below …
