Time killers. All of us can look back on days when things just didn’t get done. And if we look close enough, we can see times we failed to make a decision, and soon other things ground to a halt.
Leadership expert Fred Smith says there are three key things he has observed that waste time and slow down our ability to make a decision.
- Procrastination – Smith cleverly wrote, “If I ever get around to it, I am going to run for President of the National Procrastination Society. The problem is I just haven’t gotten around to it.”
Sometimes, we don’t make the decisions out of fear of making the wrong one. We over-analyze. Or we wait until we have all the information. Sure, we need to do our due diligence on key issues. But if we aren’t careful, we will be shuffling papers and gathering information and still put off the decision. In Texas, we often say we are, “fixin’” to do something. We are thinking about it. We are planning for it. But we never get around to doing “it.” Fred Smith says, “Exhaustion without results is a waste of time and energy.”
- Rationalization – It is better to own your mistakes than to try to explain them away. We sometimes spend more time explaining why something went wrong than we do in moving to the right decision.
- Indecision – This area not only slows down progress but also affects the rest of your team. John Maxwell says, “When the leader lacks confidence, the followers lack commitment.” It was Joshua who urged the Israelites to make a decision, not to waver.
…choose today whom you will serve. Would you prefer the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates? Or will it be the gods of the Amorites in whose land you now live? But as for me and my family, we will serve the Lord.
Joshua 24:15 NLT
Decide to decide. Don’t let indecision, rationalization, or procrastination sidetrack you as you lead others. And don’t let the definite answer be – MAYBE.
God’s best,
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