Ep. 2 Decisiveness in Leadership

What makes a decisive leader stand out and what are the behaviors that make them successful? This episode of 'Learning to Manage' focuses on decisiveness in leadership. It explores the difference between decisive and impulsive leaders, emphasizes the value of gathering information and listening to feedback, and highlights the importance of support and professional development for managers and employees. The discussion encourages listeners to enhance their leadership skills and empowers them to reach their full potential in the workplace.

Podcast Points

00:00 Introduction to Learning to Manage
01:00 The Importance of Decisiveness in Leadership
01:44 Characteristics of Decisive Leaders
02:54 Becoming a More Decisive Leader
04:43 Support and Professional Development for Managers
05:02 Decisiveness Beyond Leadership Roles
05:37 Empowering Teams Through Decisive Leadership
07:17 Conclusion: Embracing Decisiveness
07:49 Closing

Resources
Practice Business: https://practicebusiness.co.uk/why-a-decisive-leader-is-a-more-successful-leader

Sigma Assessment Systems, Inc.: https://www.sigmaassessmentsystems.com/great-leaders-decisive/#:~:text=Decisive%20leaders%20seek%20out%20the,before%20making%20a%20final%20decision.

Contact Aruna!

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61550670599375
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/aruna-seegolam-mba-8bb99272/ 

Transcript

 Welcome to Learning to Manage, the podcast where you embark on a journey with me toward becoming an effective leader. I'm Aruna Seegolam, MBA, and I'll be sharing my learning journey toward effective leadership and management.

I believe strongly in professional development and I'm a lifelong student. I'm currently in the second half of my doctorate in business administration degree with a concentration in strategic management. I also work full time as an administrative and special projects director and have been managing employees for seven years. I've been that crappy toxic manager, and now I actively work on learning how to lead with intention and compassion. Whether you're leading a team, managing projects, or navigating the complexities of organizational dynamics, join me as I learn strategies and get the inspiration needed to excel in a leadership role.

This is Learning to Manage.

I don't know where I first learned the term decisiveness, but I haven't stopped thinking about it since I heard it a few weeks ago. Why? It's the one word I have never once used to describe myself. And the context in which I read it said that great leaders, specifically great leaders today, are decisive.

Whoops. 

This really got me thinking. I take so long to decide on simple purchases in my day to day life that by the time I finally decide, I've either lost interest in the product or realize I don't really need it. My bank account is thankful for this. 

But in trying to be the person who's keeping up with the ever evolving traits of a successful leader, being so indecisive troubles me. Let's talk about this.

Decisive leaders are not to be confused with impulsive leaders. What sets decisive leaders apart is their ability to gather information, weigh pros and cons, and then, well, make a decision.  But that's not all that decisiveness entails. Decisive leaders think critically about the decisions they've made, even after they've made them. Impulsive leaders generally make decisions quickly, without regard to others feedback. And then they expect full buy-in from the teams.  I once worked with a manager who made a decision on a whim to send out a notice without consulting my team, who would be affected by the message. The message sent contained incorrect, confusing information, and we were flooded with emails requesting clarity.

This is why decisive leadership is so important. Businesses need fast decisions, but they also need effective decisions. Decisive leaders have integrity, effective communication, self-awareness, and empathy. Decisive leaders are said to be more successful because of their knowledge base. They know what they know. 

Decisive leaders are responsible, accountable, and confident. 

So how can we become more decisive leaders? Gather information from as many relevant sources as possible. Reach out to collaborate with other leaders and other teams. Understand the impact that other teams make on your department or your work. If you're making a decision that impacts your team's day to day work but not your own, get feedback from those team members. One decision making ability that is ineffective and frustrating for employees in the workplace is when managers make decisions without consideration of the team's input. When you get the feedback, truly listen and comprehend what the decision would mean for the team members and the organization. Set goals and priorities. By doing this, there are clear metrics to measure success.  I know, you're going to tell me that all managers already do this, but do you trust your own experience and your instinct?

We use our skills and strengths to show up to work each day, and these skills are honed and perfected throughout the days, weeks, and months.  We need to trust what we can do and remind ourselves of the successes we've had. I saw an article the other day that reminded managers to have brag books. I call mine a portfolio.   It's really just a bunch of emails, templates, and finished products of one-time projects I've created.  I only started it a few months ago, but every so often I go in there and I'm reminded of all the projects I've completed that save me time in the present or make decision making easier for someone else. Because on the days that no one is motivating me, I have a way to remind myself of my own consistency and hard work.  Even though I do it every day, I forget that I'm good at what I do. All of this is tied to decisive management. These successes are all results of my good decisions. Maybe I'm more of a decisive manager than I thought.

Do managers get enough support though? Managers are expected to provide constant support to a number of employees with a varying degree of personalities, yet we expect them to pour from an empty cup. This is why I will never stop talking about how important consistent professional development is. 

In my last point, I'm going to digress a moment, because the other day someone brought up a really great point to me. Leadership qualities are not specific to just leaders.  So decisiveness is not only an exceptional quality of a good leader.  Decisiveness is the quality of a good worker who knows what they bring to the table. And this begs the question, are we looking for leadership qualities when we're promoting someone to management positions, or are we looking for those that do good work?

That'll be a topic for a future episode.

Here's what I mean. One of my many hats during my 9 to 5 is managing the mailroom and the print shop operations. I work with two fantastic team members. I know absolutely nothing about how to do their jobs. Why? Well, they've had confidence in me.

I know, that makes no sense. But humor me a moment. They've trusted me for the past few years. They are more decisive than I can ever describe myself.   I'm not taking credit at all for their dedication and innovation. That's part of their individual work ethic. What I am trying to say is that their confidence in me has allowed me to be decisive about things that pertain to them. We meet once a month to address any issues they might have or just to connect. I sometimes get excited and present ideas that I think would streamline processes and lessen the amount of emails they receive.  That's to be expected. I'm a process person. But because I don't know a shred of what they do, I never make decisions without hearing their input. Many times I get, "Here's why it might not work". And they'll proceed to logically describe reasons why my idea will, well, not work.  But they almost always follow up with, "But Aruna, if this is something you'd like to implement, we are 100 percent on board".   Truthfully, I don't think I've Implemented anything that they've given me negative constructive feedback on. Unless it came from higher than me, of course.  Their confidence in me has allowed me to be decisive when it comes to these departments. I trust my team and the feedback they give me, so I can make decisions quickly.

The relationship is two-sided and I have two words,  servant leadership. 

In conclusion, decisiveness is a quality of a great leader. A leader that embraces their experiences and thrives on their ideas, knows their worth, and is confident that they can manage and do the job well. Those are leaders we need in the workplace. We should cultivate them, empower them, and uplift them.  I'm going to make an earnest effort to be a more decisive leader. I've already started in my personal life. I'm recording this on my brand new podcast mic that took me 20 minutes to research. Best purchase I've made all year. 

 Thank you for joining me on the second episode of Learning to Manage. I hope you found some valuable insights and inspiration to enhance your leadership skills.  If you enjoyed today's episode, be sure to subscribe to this podcast for more discussions on leadership and management. And don't forget to leave a review to let me know how I'm doing.

If you have any questions, topic suggestions, or stories to share about your own leadership journey, I would love to hear from you. Please visit the show notes for my Facebook and LinkedIn profiles and some additional resources. Remember, leadership is not just about directing others. It's about empowering others to reach their full potential.

Until next time, I'm Aruna Seegolam signing off from Learning to Manage. Take care, and keep learning, keep growing, and keep leading with purpose.