No decision is a decision

Being a leader, whether in business, politics, military, church, or in a family, requires people to make decisions. A business leader might have to decide whether or not to pursue a new product line not knowing if it will be successful or not. A politician often has to make difficult decisions that will do the most good for the most people. Military leaders, especially in times of war, have to make tough decisions about sending people into harm's way. Church leaders are often faced with difficult decisions that will affect their congregations. Family leaders have to make choices nearly every day about what will be best for the their family. The very nature of leadership is decision making.

There is a difference between being a leader and being in a leadership position. Leaders are not afraid to make a decision. It may not always prove to have been the best decision, but they will make a decision and act on it. Those merely in leadership positions will avoid making decisions as much as possible. The process frightens them. They might be wrong. Bad things might happen, and they will be blamed. So they settle for the status quo. They won't make a decision but let things play out on their own.

Unfortunately, not making a decision is making a decision. Sitting on the fence is making a decision. It is a decision to do nothing, to remain stuck in the status quo. It is to decide to remain in the rut in which you find yourself. I often like to remind people that a rut is nothing more than a grave with both ends kicked out. Organizations die in ruts. So do families. So do individuals. To live in a rut is not living; it is existing in an endless downward spiral.

Some people pursue leadership positions without the ability to actually provide leadership. They are managers. Now, there is nothing wrong with managers, except when a leader is needed. Managers make sure things are done correctly; leaders make sure the right things are done. Big difference. Managers spend time assessing which way the winds of popular opinion is blowing (like most politicians) while leaders are focused on leading the organization in the right path regardless of popular opinion.

Managers seldom have to make decisions, and the ones they do make are predetermined in the policy manual. They just have to follow instructions. Leaders often operate in uncharted waters. Our current pandemic is good evidence of this. We have faced things in recent weeks than no one living today had faced before. Decisions had to be made, often with inadequate and even incorrect information, and made quickly. It was easy to criticize the decisions after they were made, but the critics were not the ones who had to make the decisions. It's a lot easier to be an armchair quarterback than to be in the game.

If you are in a leadership position you have no choice but to made difficult decisions. You have to learn to live with those decisions, even the ones that later prove to have been wrong. The people in your organization and in your family depend on you to make decisions. If you cannot do so, you need to remove yourself from leadership. Let someone who can lead step into that role while you find one more suited for your personality and giftedness.