What makes leadership difficult?
We could probably create a laundry list of great answers.
For me, point decision-making certainly fits on the list. A level of decisiveness is required for leadership, but while some decisions are routine and simple, others are unfamiliar and complex. For me, the most difficult decisions rise when what I want to do is different than what I need to do.
Have you ever faced a decision that lived in the middle of this tension? Through my years of leading companies and churches, I’ve faced more than a few decisions where what I wanted to do was different than what I needed to do. For instance, there have been times I’ve wanted to keep a staff member, but they needed to move on to new opportunities (that’s a nice way to say it, right?). There have been times I’ve wanted to include everyone on a team, but not everyone provided value to the team. There have been times when I wanted to eat chicken fingers rather than a salad (see, it works in all facets of life!).
I believe the willingness to make tough decisions is a key indicator of sustainable leadership.
Obviously, decision-making is integral to leadership, but it’s the leader who is willing to make the hard call that separates their organization from the rest. More, it’s the leader who is willing to do what needs to be done that proves most effective.
As a leader, when you find yourself stuck between “want to do” and “need to do,” here’s a few things to consider:
1. Be Honest with Yourself
The easiest person to fool is you. As leaders, we must be willing to be honest with ourselves. I have often known what needed to be done, yet struggled to do it. Great leaders are willing to own this internal tension and move forward in the face of the tension. In fact, just being honest with ourselves can provide tremendous clarity.
2. Seek Wise Counsel
We’ve heard it a millions times, but too many leaders fail to do it. Seeking wise counsel involves listening to those who are willing to be honest with you. Leaders must resist the temptation to only seek confirming counsel. If wise counsel confirms your direction, that’s great. But great leaders never seek confirmation over wisdom.
3. Think Long Term
Every decision has both a short and long-term implication. Unfortunately, most leaders rationalize away (or completely ignore) the long-term impact of decisions while assuming they can mitigate the short-term issues. While it’s true in the short-term a leader may be able to manage circumstances, deciding what you want your organization to look like in the future helps bring clarity to every decision. Leaders cannot sacrifice tomorrow for today.
4. Ask Some Hard Questions
What’s the BEST decision for the organization? Where do you want to be next year? Five years? Does this staff member take our organization further? Why am I resisting this decision, REALLY? Hard questions cut through excuses and provide clarity.
5. Ask Easy Questions
Better yet – ask ONE question: What would a great leader do? That one question has provided more leadership clarity for me than anything else in my leadership journey. Most leaders KNOW what to do; they just struggle to do it. Andy Stanley gave me this question, and he’s a pretty good leader! Thanks, Andy!
6. Have Hard Conversations
Inevitably, leaders struggle to make tough decisions, because most decisions impact people. While leaders love progress, they must love people more. If the people-side of a decision doesn’t faze you, then you will struggle to remain a leader worth following. The person impacted by a decision complicates every decision, but great leaders must find clarity in the midst of the complication.
So, if you have a decision to make, be honest with yourself, seek wisdom, consider the long-term, ask questions, and be willing to have the hard conversation. In the end, your leadership and the organization under your care will be better for it.
I’d love to hear how you consider and make tough decisions. What tough questions do you ask yourself? Let me know in the comments, and please share this post so others can join in the conversation.
