Even the best of leaders struggle between optimizing for optionality vs. decisiveness. But in a world of real-time tests and a value for lessons learned from incremental failures throughout a venture, decisiveness wins in the modern org.
To make this real, when you see a proposal from your team that is well-vetted but conjures up discomfort, you’ll be tempted to put it in a holding pattern. Don’t. Whether a no or a yes, decisiveness unlocks the potential of a modern high-performing team.
An old-school leader may refrain from being declaratory and give vague, inconclusive feedback (or use the gravitational force of operations as a delay tactic). A modern leader will either decide or propose a plan to do so.
For the bosses out there: In the modern world: Decisiveness > Optionality
For everyone else: Make your bosses make decisions. In the modern competitive landscape, organizational debt (the accumulation of decisions that should have been made but were not throughout #TheMessyMiddle of any venture) is not something you can afford.
