[June 18, 2014] In June of 1944 General Eisenhower made the final decision for the invasion of German-occupied France. This was the key event that led to the unraveling of Hitler’s European empire. Eisenhower’s command to go ashore in Normandy France has been called many things; but it cannot be said it was not decisive. It is a common axiom that says, “leaders are decisive.”
“It’s better to be boldly decisive and risk being wrong than to agonize at length and be right too late.” – Marilyn Moats Kennedy
Decisiveness is an essential component of leaders. No one wants work for a leader that cannot make decisions. No one wants to work for a leader that second-guesses himself and others. Indecisiveness is the character of a weak, fragile, ineffective leader. A decisive leader, on the other hand, gains credibility, gets the promotion, more responsibility, greater opportunities, and gains respect.
Whether a decision is necessarily quick and hasty or planned and deliberate, the leader must be ready at all times to act. This process means having as much relevant information as possible. In addition, the leader must have the aptitude to weigh the pros and cons of that information within the context of a vision of the future.
The best leaders are those able to be decisive; they are prepared. For example, if a political leader is asked where they stand on an issue, then a clear answer must be given. If the politician is unprepared to answer, then they must say so. Trying to have it “both ways” to please everyone or to hide unpreparedness through double-talk is a sign of weak character and ineffectiveness.
We are told there is a crisis of leadership in American today. What is really being said is that there are indecisive leaders who occupy senior leader positions. Those leaders do more harm than good because they have not developed clarity and vision of the future. In a classic sense, they are not true leaders.
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