How Decision-Making Influences Leadership

A leader may need to decide: what to prioritize; what to stop; whom to trust; when to act; when to wait; how to allocate resources; how to respond to risk.

Good leadership does not mean always making perfect decisions. It involves developing a process for making reasonable decisions with the information available.

Useful capabilities include: analysis; research; critical thinking; judgment; listening; scenario evaluation; values clarification; risk assessment.

This makes decision-making another area where different natural gifts can contribute differently. An analytical leader may emphasize evidence. An innovative leader may emphasize possibilities. A community-oriented leader may emphasize stakeholder impact. Effective leadership often requires integrating these perspectives.