When Not to Make a Decision

People make around 35,000 decisions a day.

Let that sink in.

Every little thing you do requires you to (consciously or unconsciously) weigh options, consider outcomes, and act in a way that seems best.

The number of decisions that you make has an impact on the quality of those decisions over time.

The more decisions you make, the more you are likely to choose to do what you’ve always done.

Or else, after making thousands of decisions, you may not think some paths all the way through. This is known as decision fatigue.

Leaders must make decisions that impact others’ lives and the direction of the organization.

It’s best for educational leaders to make high quality decisions that align with the vision and goals of the school or district. However, all leaders experience stressors that could point to lower quality decisions.

Some great advice about making decisions can be conflicting.

Take, for instance, the conflict between “Strike while the iron is hot” and “Sleep on it and come back to it tomorrow.” Or what about “Consistency is key” versus “Think outside the box”? Which piece of advice is better? When should each be applied?

The answer is–it depends. Every situation is different, and you need to be at your best to make your decisions count.

Top level decisions are rarely black and white, and any decision the leader makes will have an impact on many different stakeholders and groups.

Some leaders are tempted to make decisions that are best for themselves—they look out for number one—but that’s neither helpful nor wise.

As a rule of thumb, you should ask what is best for children, even if it puts adults or some stakeholders in an imposition. Be careful, though, because if you make things too difficult for teachers and staff, it actually becomes worse for students.

There are times when you should hold off big decisions. If you find yourself in any of these situations, delay decision-making until you are better equipped to make the best choice.

When you don’t have enough information.

It happens to me all the time: I listen to one side of the story and automatically agree with that point of view. Then I listen to the other side of the story and realize I missed some important details, and I change my mind.

Investigation is a must for educational leaders. If you don’t have enough information to guide your decisions, you’ll find out what you didn’t know soon enough!

Consider your decision’s impact on different stakeholders and groups. Would your decision help athletics but hinder academics? Would it make students happy but overwhelm teachers?

Whenever someone brings you a piece of information, there’s always an agenda attached. Sometimes that agenda is good for the organization, and sometimes it isn’t. Ask clarifying questions, and avoid saying “yes” to requests right away.

When you’re not at your best emotionally.

Before making major decisions, be sure to check your emotions. Are you angry? Fearful? Tired and ready to get out the door?

Your decisions will reflect how you feel. Remember that emotions are fleeting–how you feel today will likely be different tomorrow. It’s best to delay until you have dealt with any negative emotions that could sabotage your decision-making.

Sometimes putting your emotions in check can take days. That’s okay–just get yourself to a place where you can make a clear headed decision.

Your staff and students should never have to deal with the consequences of a poor decision you made when you were having a bad day.

When you’re in too good a place emotionally.

Just as negative emotion can hurt your decisions, too much positive emotion can hurt your decisions, too.

Think about it. There are days when you feel like you could take on the world. It’s great to have these days, but it’s better to leave big decisions for when you can think about them realistically.

One reason why many New Year's resolutions fail is because the goals were set during a holiday when you were feeling good. When reality sets in, emotions change, and commitments begin to waver. That’s why gyms are full on January 2 and empty by February 3.

If you’re feeling great, you can make a private decision, but don’t make big decisions public until you’ve had a chance to mull over them for extended periods of time.

When you’re tired.

According to the CDC, driving while sleep deprived has just as much of an impact on reaction times as driving while intoxicated. When you’re tired, you simply don’t have as much mental processing power at your disposal.

The same is true of making big decisions. When you are tired, you can’t think through all the options, so don’t even try it.

Instead, front-load your decision-making as much as possible, well before decision fatigue sets in. Craig Groeschel suggests setting aside a day each week to make decisions, and putting big decisions on a “to decide” list. This practice can be helpful, especially if you feel like you should make decisions right away.

Major decisions should be made when you’re at your best, ideally before you’ve already made thousands of small decisions.

Your tired decisions will turn out to be your wrong decisions–just don’t do it.

When you’re distracted.

Most of our decisions are made based on routine and preference. You usually take the same route to work each day, and sometimes when you arrive, you can’t even remember the drive because you were thinking about something else. Yet you still had to make thousands of tiny decisions to get you there safely.

Don’t let major decisions fall into that category.

If you are in the middle of considering a big decision and an angry parent walks in your door, take time after that parent leaves to go back over the thought process you were in before you were interrupted.

You can’t delay your decisions indefinitely. Yes, some decisions must be made quickly, but even when you’re in the middle of things, be sure to give important decisions their due diligence.

Regardless of how pressured you feel to decide right away, make sure you are not in any of the above situations before you make big decisions. You and your organization will be much better for it.

What about you? Have you noticed patterns of when leaders often make low quality decisions?

Let me know in the comments below!