Every time people around me use statements or questions from the list below, I feel an aneurysm coming on.  They make my head hurt just reading them.

  • “We need to study this further.”
  • “Are you sure?”
  • “But what if…”
  • “We need to cover all our bases.”
  • “Can we run some more numbers?”
  • “Who’s going to be responsible?”

Is This An Aneurysm?

Uncertainty Dominates

Leaders must thrive in uncertainty.  As leaders, we can rarely obtain all the information we want to have before making decisions.  It is either unavailable or it would take too long to get it.

Uncertainty dominates our world.  As leaders we must accept that fact.  Uncertainty must be overcome by our desire to move forward and grow. 

I have seen the unwillingness of people to embrace uncertainty prevent progress in many arenas.  In business, non-profits, church leadership, and families, fear of uncertain circumstances or uncertain outcomes creates a culture of inaction and over-analysis.

I have written about this subject many times:

Ready, Shoot, Aim

I am an action-oriented person.  Often when I error, it is because I belong to the school of Ready, Shoot, Aim.

The school of thought that gives me the headaches are the people who want certainty before they make a decision.  Their mantra is Ready, Aim, Aim, Aim…

But, I realize my way of doing things can cause problems as well.  People like me need the analytical types to slow me down.  I need someone to point out the details I tend to overlook.

A leader must be willing to listen.  I must know myself and be open to feedback from people who are different from me.  These people keep me out of trouble!  They can give me headaches, but I need them!

Ready, Aim, Aim, Aim….

An analytical leader does not have to be as action oriented as some of us are.  But, just like me, they need to have the opposite personality advising them to move forward.  I may give that person a headache, but they need me too!

A leader who errors on the side of over analysis must still make decisions and make them in a timely manner.  To avoid paralysis through analysis, the leader must have someone who is willing and able to communicate the need for action.

Who’s Responsible?

It is a fact.

  • If my team is stuck in the conference room in a never ending debate on what to do next, I am responsible.
  • If my team is running after one shiny new idea after another without seeing real results, I am responsible.

As a leader I am responsible for what happens on my team.  Period.  My circumstances, my people, my boss, the economy all have influence on the outcomes.  But, I am ultimately responsible.

I am responsible for knowing my strengths and my weaknesses.  They are often the same thing.  I need to take the time to look at who I am and how I tend to operate. Without that level of self-examination, the most certain thing is my future is the status-quo.

The Bottom Line:

One type of leader is not better than another.  However, no matter where a leader falls on the analysis spectrum – Zero to Paralysis – we must all have our opposite nearby and be humble enough to listen to them.

Communicating with my opposite can be difficult and can even induce aneurysms for me.  But, understanding who I am and how I tend to behave is my first step towards finding a balance between action and analysis.

Uncertainty is a certainty for leaders.  A leader waiting on all the answers will spend her life waiting.  Decisions must be made.  In today’s world, the ability to make quick decisions is more important than ever.

I am a big believer that an 80% solution implemented now will always beat a perfect solution that is still in development.  As I have matured as a leader, I realized I need help getting to the 80% while others need help stopping at 80%.

Question:

Where is uncertainty keeping you from moving forward?

Dave Anderson is coauthor of Becoming a Leader of Character – Six Habits that Make or Break a Leader at Work and at Home with his father General James L. Anderson (USA Retired).

You can find Becoming a Leader of Character on Amazon by clicking here:

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