Navigating Executive Decision Making
Good leaders are critical to a well-functioning business. They are instrumental in guiding employees, supporting processes, and acting as the living example (and often the inspiration) for the company’s vision, mission, and values. And while there are many hats to wear as an executive, one of the most important is “the decision-maker” hat.
If you’re the leader, the buck stops with you (no pressure), so navigating executive decision-making is an important skill to learn. To be the best leader you can be, you need to understand your inherent decision-making style and how to build on that style to improve efficiency.
What is Your Decision-Making Style?
Most people fit into one of a few categories of decision-making styles.
Your decision-making style is formed from various influences, character traits, and learning experiences. Some people make decisions based on their gut, while others carefully weigh the pros and cons. Some people are generally indecisive, while others tend to overdo it and make decisions for others—with or without their input.
The first step in mastering executive decision-making is understanding how you tend to approach decisions in your life. Once you’ve identified your decision-making style, you can begin to unpack how that style is helpful and where it can be a potential hazard.
How Mastering Executive Decision-Making Can Make You a Better Leader
While there is no one perfect decision-making style, researchers at the Harvard Business Review studied the different styles of top executives. They found that, in general, the most successful leaders adapted their style over the years to support a more collaborative process.
As an executive, you can’t be everywhere at once, so it’s essential to empower other managers to make decisions when you can’t. This can be uncomfortable for some leaders, particularly those whose decision-making styles tend to be authoritative or instinctual. But by mastering a more collaborative executive decision-making style, you can begin to involve your team in the process and increase the overall efficiency of your business.
Align – Where Leaders Go to Lead Their Teams
Whether you’re a natural-born executive decision-maker or you’re looking to grow a more collaborative style, Align can help you empower the managers and leaders in your organization to make decisions when you can’t.
With all your essential data in one place, Align gives your team leads all the critical information needed to make quick data-driven decisions that are in line with company goals and KPIs.
Our software also offers helpful surveys (like our Employee Net Promoter Score) so leaders can gain valuable feedback that encourages growth.
Foster collaborative decision-making that’s data-driven and goal-oriented with Align.
