Leadership Styles – Autocratic, Laissez Faire, Participative and Bureaucratic
All leaders do not possess same attitude or same perspective. As discussed earlier, few leaders adopt the carrot approach and a few adopt the stick approach. Thus, all of the leaders do not get the things done in the same manner. Their style varies. The leadership style varies with the kind of people the leader […]
Scarcity vs. Abundant Mindsets in Leaders
Scarcity and Abundance We often hear the terms scarcity and abundance mindsets of employees and employers in addition to leaders. These terms are used to refer to the mindset of the individuals who think in constrained or scarcity mindsets as opposed to those who think in terms of abundance. Indeed, even in our daily lives, […]
Three Traits of Effective Leadership
We have introduced the concept of Transleader in the previous articles. We discussed how a leader who is integral to the organization and vice versa could prove to be an effective leader. Taking the discussion forward, this article reviews the three traits that make for effective leadership and separates leaders from followers. The three traits […]
Communication at Workplace
Communication plays an important role in the success and failure of an organization. The art of expressing one’s ideas and thoughts clearly is called as effective communication. Individuals need to communicate effectively at the workplace for better transparency and clarity. Not only effective communication helps in correct transfer of information but also in decision making. […]
Leadership Vision
True leaders have a vision, that is, they have a potential to view the present as it is and to invent a future culminating out of the present. A leader with a vision can foresee the future and can remain in the present. A vision is an end towards which leader can spend and direct […]
From the time we wake up to the time we finish for the day, we are bombarded with all kinds of facts, opinions, news, and views. In this context, the key imperative is to how to decide on anything to do with our daily lives without missteps and misjudgments. Decision making in a confusing world can be tough and this article discusses some strategies and tips on how to arrive at business or personal decision-making.
The first and foremost aspect is that one must trust the source but must verify the facts.
In other words, this means that one must not take everything that comes one’s way without ascertaining whether the information is true and relevant in addition to being pertinent and factual. This means that whenever we are presented with a particular piece of information, we need to double check and cross check it with other sources.
A simple strategy here would be to cross check the information received from one source with other sources so that any possible misinformation can be vetted and verified. This works for most business leaders who often insist on multiple reports from different individuals so that they can make up their minds about the likely course of action.
The point here is that we must not blindly trust all the information and use our sense of discretion and discernment when making up our minds.
The second aspect related to decision making in a confusing world refers to the ability to defer the decision without rushing into judgment and at the same time without delaying it too much.
Research into behavioral decision-making indicates that it would be better to have a lag between the time the information is received and the time one makes the decision.
In other words, look before you leap and take your time before arriving at a decision. The crucial window of time that is needed for successful decision making often makes the difference between success and failure.
Business leaders often take the time to listen to everyone’s point of view, and then ponder about the course of action to be decided, and then only arrive at a decision. In case on the spot decisions are required, then rely on your own experience and your own judgmental abilities instead of relying on others. After all, if you are the decision maker, you would be held responsible for the consequences and not the others. Therefore, taking responsibility and having discernment are both admirable and advisable qualities in decision makers.
The third aspect is related to the need to keep one’s eyes wide open meaning that one must actively seek information and knowledge from others. The best decision makers are those who equip themselves with the necessary knowledge and have the information about the macro issues at their fingertips.
Most business leaders in the corporate world subscribe to think tanks and publications such as Harvard Business Review so that they are abreast of the latest happenings in the world of business. Apart from this, they actively seek feedback and listen to the other employees or the “boots on the ground” so that when they need to take a decision, the chances of them being misled by those with hidden agendas is minimal.
One needs to remember that the corporate jungle or the euphemism for the corporate world resembles the metaphor and hence, success belongs to those who are astute, adroit, and agile. All these qualities need experience and an ability to synthesize information from different sources and to forge everything together into a cohesive and coherent set of data points that can be used as the basis of decision-making.
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