In her April 16 “Calling the Game” video, Bobbie LaPorte focuses on the second shift that leaders need to make NOW. Times have changed, and so have the timelines for decision-making. If you’re used to taking a careful, methodical approach, it’s time to learn how to make quick decisions—and accept the risks that go with them.
Embrace Quick Decisions and Risk in Uncertain Times
Hi, this is Bobbie LaPorte, back with another week of “Calling the Game,” where I share my own experience and insights while giving you valuable tools you can use to call your own game…and plan the best moves for you and your team.
In my book: “When the Curveballs Keep Coming: A Leadership Playbook for an Uncertain World,” I share the three shifts that every leader must make – now. In a previous post, I covered the first shift: that defaulting to autopilot, to old habits that are out of sync with our current environment, limits your ability to see what’s possible in this time of uncertainty.
In this post, I want to focus on the second shift: how leaders need to understand that decision-making timelines have changed.
This means moving quickly from a detailed analysis and exhaustive evaluation of unexpected situations to the possibility of what’s next. And that is uncomfortable for most leaders.
So why is decision dynamics important now?
Because we’ve been trained to approach challenges in a methodical, disciplined way: laying out the pros and cons, gathering data, and creating options and scenarios for consideration.
Then, what follows is usually a prolonged decision-making process that involves appropriate stakeholders, more data and validation, and detailed risk analysis to narrow down the options…and then—hopefully—a decision.
But times have changed. As a leader, you now need to move more quickly through your evaluative and decision-making process.
You can no longer make minimizing risk your primary focus. Increased risk-taking is more acceptable now, as is accepting that mistakes are now part of innovating and trying new things.
Mistakes have less impact now because you can change course quickly if needed, using strategic awareness to move confidently to what is next, what is possible.
Because in a world that’s shifting on a weekly, if not daily, basis, the cost of delay is greater than ever.
Remember: in these times of change and uncertainty, every decision is a good one – until it’s not.
Okay, that’s it for this week’s “Calling the Game.” Hope this helps you gear up for a great week and navigate any curveballs that may come your way!