As a business owner, it’s essential for us to be decisive, and to act with purpose and efficiency. There often isn’t time to sit on ideas, or for any changing of minds, meaning we need to run with decisions confidently. These qualities can help to earn the respect of your team to maximise your authority as a leader. It also sets a strong example for their own work ethic.
Efficiency in this context is important because it means the faster we are responding to issues, the earlier problems are dealt with. This allows your business to adjust to new circumstances and continue growing without underlying uncertainty or complications.
But we aren’t all naturally this way inclined and it is very easy to slip into habits of procrastination. One of the most common reasons leaders face indecision is down to something called analysis paralysis. This happens when a leader overanalyses a situation or problem. Continuously running over the same options – or waiting for a new one to appear – only makes it harder to find a solution, and therefore ends up delaying the response.
So what can we do to push past this?
Make Progress
It goes without saying that procrastination kills productivity. Commit to making even the smallest progress in your decision – it is still one step closer to finalising it. Try writing down the components or problems affecting your decision and options to resolve them. This way you will feel you are overcoming small hurdles, while also having a chance to follow your initial instincts as you go.
Don’t Fixate on Striving For Perfection
We can often let our obsession with perfection hold us back in so much of what we do. But when it comes to making decisions and moving forward, it can create more hurdles than is necessary. Naturally, as humans we want to choose the route that guarantees huge gains and little to no downsides. But these choices aren’t always realistic, and there has to be an acceptance of a compromise.
Let go of any notions of perfectionism and instead think reasonably and rationally, so as not to let your judgement and decisiveness be clouded by it.
Don’t Catastrophise or Focus on the Worst-case Scenario
This mindset can often lead to that famous ‘analysis paralysis’. While it is helpful to be mindful of both the positive and negative consequences of a decision, this can become problematic if it becomes unbalanced. We can sometimes assess the risk associated with a decision to such an extent that we worry unreasonably about it. This is damaging because we are then immediately anticipating a bad outcome, which ultimately prevents us from taking big risks. Recognising this can help to rebalance, and compensate for any disproportionate anticipation.
If you recognise yourself as a procrastinator, or feel some guidance on the matter would benefit your business, get in touch with Action Coach Worthing today.
