Don't Leave Decisions to Chance

One of your biggest jobs as a leader is to make decisions. Yes, sometimes it's hard, and yes, sometimes people don't like you very much afterwards, but that's what you get paid to do. If you try to pass that off, you're not doing your job. Simple as that.

We're not talking here about little decisions, like "where should we go for lunch?" This is about important decisions that affect the direction of the company, or affect people's lives and careers. Don't pass the buck to others, and DEFINITELY don't leave it to chance.

One way leaders pass it off is by having employees vote. This is what we call "a bad idea" for a number of reasons. First, you will set a precedent, and once people get a taste of voting they're going to start expecting it; the next time, when you actually make the decision yourself, you're going to face a serious backlash. Next, when employees vote they often are focusing on their particular role in the company, and their vote will likely reflect that. Remember, it's YOUR job to deal with the big picture, not theirs. They could come up with something that takes your company way off course, and you really can't do anything about it since you ceded the authority to them. About the only thing worse than having a vote is having a vote and then ignoring the results.

This isn't to say your employees shouldn't have a voice in decisions and shouldn't offer their input; they should. But there's a difference between making an input and making a decision. They can offer their suggestions, but it's up to you to make the final decision.

Another thing we see sometimes, especially with regard to training and other opportunities, is a lottery. That is, put everyone's name in a hat and pull out the winner, who then gets to go take a class or go on some company-sponsored trip or something. This is a total cop-out on your part. Leaders (and maybe I should put that in sarcasm quotes: "Leaders") who do this are trying to avoid having anyone get mad at them, but c'mon, all the good employees will be mad that decisions about them are being made by the laws of probability rather than by what's good for them and for the firm. You need to make decisions about people based on their talents, the company's needs, your employees' desires, and not just on the luck of the draw.

If you give up control over decisions you're setting yourself up for problems. Never mind that you're abandoning your responsibilities, you also may be about to lose control over where you go from here. Leaving important decisions to chance risks putting your company on a path for which you're not prepared, or may lead you to lose the very people you most need to keep.

If you're not willing to make decisions then what, exactly, are you getting paid to do???