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Do it yesterday! Impulsive versus deliberate leadership decision making

October 29, 2021 by admin

As an individual contributor, Joe was praised by his management for his speed in delivering results. His management was so in love with his ability to get things done quickly that he was promoted to a leadership position in a team of ten. Joe’s quick action carried over into his decision making. For him, making decisions quickly was a sign of “doing a real job” rather than sitting around talking about things. “Great leaders don’t have all the facts,” he would tell his team, as a justification for moving forward without a good understanding of the implications of a decision. Joe’s team learned to simply say “Yes sir” and do their best to execute what Joe wanted done in the allotted time. His impulsive decision-making came to a head with a new hire named Greg.

Joe interviewed Greg for a product management position, who talked about a great game and quickly won over Joe. Joe made the impulsive decision to hire Greg without checking his references. After Greg started working, it didn’t take long for the others to realize that he was clearly unqualified for the position. Suspicious of Greg’s claims, Joe did some research and found that he had embellished the accomplishments on his resume. The team and Joe went through several stressful months cleaning up Greg’s mess until they finally let him go. Joe eventually came back as a leader, but learned a painful lesson about impulsive decision making; and he had to regain the credibility of his team.

Before I continue, I want to set a bar on what I see as impulsive and deliberate leaders.

An impulsive leader prioritizes decision speed over decision quality

A deliberate leader balances the speed of decision with the quality of the decision

Let’s analyze this. Impulsive leaders want to make a decision quickly and tend to use the concept of “imperfect information” as a license not to do their homework. They are very action oriented, but have trouble not thinking through decisions before acting. For an impulsive leader, the necessary appointments are not as important as moving fast. An impulsive leader may not have time to do something right the first time, but will need more time later to do or undo something again.

In contrast, deliberate leaders are aware of the speed of decisions, but only as a contribution to the overall quality of decisions. They understand the concept of imperfect information, but they don’t use it as an excuse for not learning what they can about the implications of a decision. They can be as action-oriented as an impulsive leader.

What are some warning signs that you could be an impulsive leader? Here are seven:

1. Bad decision reversals are the rule, not the exception.

2. Followers generally reject him in his decisions.

3. Followers execute your instructions instead of owning the problem and figuring out the “how” for themselves.

4. You can’t align decision due dates with business need.

5. You cannot articulate the options and consequences of the decision alternatives.

6. You regularly use the phrase “failure is not an option” when asked about the consequences of failure.

7. You often say something like “ASAP” or “Yesterday” when a follower asks you when something needs to be done.

Do any of these warning signs resonate with you? If so, take a look at these eight tips to help you transition from impulsive to deliberate leadership:

1. Admit that you are an impulsive leader – The first step in transforming yourself from an impulsive leader to a deliberate leader is to introspectively admit that you are impulsive. Be brutally honest, even if the answer is something you don’t want to hear.
2. Be clear about the what, why, who and when – When faced with a decision, take the time to physically write down the decision, why it is made, who it affects, and when to make it up to sixteen on one shot or avoid a bad consequence. Unless you are faced with a decision that requires split-second action – that is, swerving or braking to avoid a car accident – taking a few minutes to frame the characteristics of the decision is time well spent.
3. Expedite the decision until the expiration date – I have met many leaders who are simply impatient and want something done immediately. However, taking action for the sake of taking action without regard to an expiration date can result in an unnecessarily less informed decision. Know when to make a decision and pace your actions accordingly.
4. Write the alternatives and consequences. – Once you have framed the decision and when you need it to be made, be intentional about the alternatives and consequences, including a “do nothing” alternative. Outlining alternatives and what might happen under each one is a function of force that helps you slow down and be more thoughtful about the decision. Don’t forget the expiration date.
5. Think of risks as reckless or calculated – If you are looking for risk-free decision alternatives, you will be thrown into decision paralysis. Accept with joy that there will be some risks in your decision, but be intentional in classifying the risk as reckless (acting without thinking about the consequences) or calculated (thinking about the consequences and having mitigations in case something goes wrong).
6. Spread your thinking along the way – I have seen too many leaders huddled in an office to think about a problem and then emerge like Moses with the tablets of stone to proclaim his answer. Unless the decision is confidential, take the team on the journey with you, letting them know the decision you are grappling with and its characteristics, alternatives, and consequences. I’ve been most successful implementing decisions that affected my team when they knew things were underway and had the opportunity to influence my thinking before the decision was made.
7. Surround yourself with deliberate people – Great leaders know their weaknesses and surround themselves with strong people in those areas. More importantly, they actively listen to them. This does not mean that the leader always accepts the advice given; but they listen and explain why they have chosen not to accept the advice.
8. Seek advice from non-stakeholders – Some of the best leaders I have met not only possess great firsthand experiential wisdom, but they humbly and actively seek the heartfelt wisdom of others who are not directly affected by the decision. The leader still owns the final decision, but allows others to influence his thinking. This takes a bit of courage, because someone might throw cold water on what you may think is a great idea, but it could save you a lot of pain in trying to recover from a bad decision.

Remember, impulsive leaders prioritize speed over quality of decisions, while deliberate leaders balance speed with quality. Consider these eight tips to improve the quality of your decision making and become a more effective follower leader.

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