Day in and day out, leaders, team members, and all of us as individuals, sometimes are faced with the need to stand up for what we believe in, even when it’s contrary to the direction that others seem to be going.
How many times have you acquiesced to a decision that your boss or a team wanted to make, only to discover in the end, your unspoken opinion would have been a far better and more valuable choice?
Where do you make your best decisions from – your gut, your heart, or your head? Each offers advantages – and the biggest advantage is understanding the sequence that leads you to your best possible decision. Utilizing all three “centers of decision-making” in the sequence that serves you best, should always be your process for decision making.
When your best decision-making runs contrary to the stream of opinions around you, your ability to thoughtfully, articulately, and convincingly communicate and influence in the direction of your decision is a critical skill.
Your ability to have the courage and candor to stand up for what you really, truly believe, is another key asset that will support your success.
The skill set of the truly great leaders, change agents, and people who make a huge difference must contain these decision-making skills. The willingness to be “unusual or different,” requires this uncommon combination of courage, candor, and communication skill.
Check how often you’re both willing and able to serve the greater good by offering up better, but less popular suggestions and improvements. Practice the art of keeping the focus on what is most important and valuable even when it’s not the most popular choice.
As Ralph Waldo Emerson said:
“That which we persist in doing becomes easier – not that the task itself has become easier, but that our ability to perform it has improved.”
