5 Simple Steps to Defeat Indecision

Faced with so many decisions, it is easy to be overwhelmed. Should you blog or send a newsletter or both? Do you take lunch before or after you finish your conference call? Should you make changes with vendors or stay with the same ones? Do you tackle this project or that project? Not only do you decide where to go for lunch, you are sorting and prioritizing a massive number of decisions throughout the day.

As a manager or CEO, you are carrying out multiple roles throughout the day to grow your credit union. In fact, many of us are performing an average of 3 to 6 different roles on any given day.

Each role carries with it a countless number of decisions that vie for your attention during the day. Some decisions are significant and critical, while others are minor and inconsequential. The fact of the matter is the average person makes approximately 5,000 decisions each and every day. It is no wonder indecision is so prevalent.

We are all familiar with bouts of indecision. We search for flights online for a few too many hours agonizing over whether or not flight prices might go down if we check again tomorrow. 

We wait to make a key decision at work hoping to gather more information to help us decide or tell ourselves we need more input for others all the while hoping the issue will solve itself. Indecision, however, can be worse than a bad decision. At least with a bad decision, we can learn from our mistakes and make progress. With indecision, we are stuck unable to move forward or reverse. 

Hoping something will change or wishing a decision to be made is neither an effective nor reliable strategy. Being accountable and taking responsibility for our decisions are the first steps in battling indecisiveness. It is highly unlikely that we will always make the right decisions, but as long as we take responsibility, we can correct for many of the mistakes that we encounter and learn to make better decisions in the future. Decision making is like any other skill, it get better with practice.

The extremely successful coach of the 49ers, Bill Walsh puts forth the idea in The Score Takes Care of Itself that strong leaders need to commit, explode, and recover. This means committing to a plan of attack, executing that plan and then intelligently reacting to the results and of course being ready to make additional decisions as needed.

It is a philosophy that can help each of us faced with the daily decisions and choices that we have to make, both at home and in our roles as leaders of credit unions.

Here are five ways to help you avoid the indecision trap:

1. Pick a priority at the start of each day and stick with it
2. Limit distractions and stay focused
3. Don’t be afraid to fail
4. Take time for yourself during the day
5. Automate decisions whenever possible

By Brent Loyd, VP, Sales & Services, Credit Union Resources, Inc.

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