Difficult Decision Making: Leadership Guide

We know that the foundation of leadership is based on a leader's ability to make decisions. The decisions directly impact the team's ability to handle tasks in the workplace. Sounds fairly straightforward when we put it that way right? Remember straightforward and easy are two very different things. Decision-making can be rewarding when delegating tasks to hardworking employees and seeing them succeed.

However, the real measure of an effective leader is seen in their ability to make tough decisions. When faced with pressure, does a leader detach and overcome the obstacle? Or do they become too emotionally involved and get in the way of the team? Making tough decisions will test people in different ways, especially when these decisions affect the people working in the teams. Whether it’s budget issues, having to fire someone, or weighing options best suited for the team, a leader must find the best option possible.

These decisions are unfortunately the most common ones leaders will have to deal with. What makes them hard beyond morale is that sometimes the answer is not clear. It all comes back to uncertainty, which is often the trigger for acting on impulse. This is not to say that a leader can know the outcome of a given situation, sometimes the best choices even lead to failure. 

What we want to learn here is not how to avoid failure but how a leader can operate under pressure to guide the team. Let's look at what we know:

Recognize Impulse Decisions

When a situation comes up, a leader will typically calculate an answer instantaneously. The issue here is that the answer could stem from ego, mistrust, or even bias. Once that answer bubbles up, a leader must question why. What purpose does this decision serve? Who will be affected? Will this have a ripple effect on other tasks? Even taking a potential solution to the responsible team members in the context will help to understand complications. 

Be Open to Employee Input

Hard decisions which involve the operation of a task should always be taken to employees to gain their insight. Not only will their opinions factor into their ability to do the job but it will also allow the leader to recognize where they may over engage or under engage. Remember to recognize feedback as helpful suggestions and not as employees undermining the original idea. In return, the attitudes of team members going forward will be positive as they feel they’ve been heard.

The leader can feel relief knowing that the solution was constructed on the criteria that were in the best interest of the team.

Explain the Tough Decisions

In an organization, issues will arise that are out of the leaders' control, this is where the leader simply becomes a messenger. We can recognize this in budget cuts which often translate to downsizing and letting go of employees. When there’s a case like this, it is important to be direct, don’t hide the facts. Leaders must address the hard situations with the emotional intelligence and professionalism that earned their position. 

Allow Teams Leeway 

This concept is important because it must not be taken too seriously or too lightly. When difficulties arise, it is often because a leader becomes too involved. The command is too centralized and does not allow employees to make decisions on their own. This can translate to wasted time due to waiting on approval and constantly having to run things by the leader. The opposite is also true, if a leader is too laid back then the team will not know what to do.

Finding the balance is done by understanding your team, knowing when to trust and when to guide. As a leader, the right balance must be found that best fits the circumstance.

Conclusion

Organizations will always face issues, the most important thing that can be done in a team setting is preparing to face them. An organization's ability to succeed is often based on how they handle obstacles and bounce back from failure. Each difficulty is a learning opportunity, teams will improve when put under pressure. What’s most important is that every member has the necessary support and leadership to accomplish their goals. 

We work with successful companies to increase their net profits using exceptional custom software solutions, contact us here to see how we can help your business grow!

Qualities of An Effective Mentor

What a privilege it is to be a mentor, having gained enough knowledge and experience that the new generations of your profession look up to you for advice. This role inevitably comes with a large responsibility. You are in a position not only to guide someone to a life of success but also to benefit your industry with your lessons after you’ve left. So what qualities does one look for in a mentor? We want someone knowledgeable, a clear communicator, someone we can trust, right?

The fundamental qualities of a mentor rely on their ability to deliver information effectively to the mentee. The first potential barrier we have to recognize here is the age gap, someone older mentoring a young prospect may find it difficult to communicate. For this reason, the mentor's approach needs to be much more personalized. To adjust your approach, here’s what you need to keep in mind:

Ask Questions

As a mentor, you’ll want to understand the goals your mentee is aiming for. By asking them questions you are conducting a series of helpful lessons. It starts by making them think, they’ll concentrate on their intentions for working in this given field. From that, they’ll come up with goals for which you can develop objectives. After that, you can begin to find actionable methods for your mentee to take.

It is easy to talk people’s ears off about something you’ve done for years but it can be overwhelming for a newcomer. Instead, define clear objectives that you and your mentee will be able to do to create progress. 

Voice Your Opinion

When a mentee is faced with something (issue or opportunity), always make sure to share your thoughts on the situation. It is important not to make the conversation all about you, simply share your thoughts when appropriate. This tool is beneficial to demonstrate your understanding that your mentee is still learning. Also, your opinion is valued by the ones you mentor, so don’t keep it to yourself, teach them to think like an experienced professional.

Challenge Your Mentee

Mentors are not therapists, you’re not there to hold your mentee's hand through the process. Of course, you want to encourage and be a safe space for them to go but don’t allow them to become dependent. Instead, find ways to dig deeper into their assumptions of the industry by asking them hardball questions. Challenge their comfort zone by being direct and honest even in times they may not want to hear the truth. The mentor must grow the mentee into a competent person capable of handling their career alone. 

Open Them To Your Network

This option is not required but if you are comfortable with introducing your mentee to people in your network it can be very helpful. This may be a big draw for some people coming to you for help as a mentor. If you decide to go this route, be strategic with who you choose, having a clear idea of the value they can provide to each other. Introducing your mentees to people in your network can expose them to the types of people to look for in theirs. Also, it could lead to opportunities for your mentee down the line.

Conclusion

The role of a mentor can be extremely rewarding but it can also be challenging in terms of patience or where to start. Put yourself in the position of the mentee, what would you want to be taught? How would you want to be treated to ensure you’re effectively learning? Whatever approach you decide on, be sure to do it with the same passion and professionalism that established you in your career.

We work with successful companies to increase their net profits using exceptional custom software solutions, contact us here to see how we can help your business grow!

Finding Inspiration: Secrets of the Successful

Everyone interested in creating eventually runs into the trap of telling themselves “I just have to find inspiration” or “yeah but that already exists”. The problem with this is that it is a very closed-minded outlook to have. Oftentimes people find one idea and fixate on it, they spend so long trying to make it work in a certain way that they close off other opportunities. The thing about inspiration is that you can’t force it. You can’t go out looking for it or complaining that you haven’t found it. Instead, you have to try things, leave your comfort zone and let the inspiration find you. 

Let's say you are an aspiring writer, you’re giving yourself 6 months to write a book that will inspire someone to change bad habits. You realize you’ll want to have about 20,000 words across 100 pages. The issue now is how do you start? You’ll start brainstorming some ideas here and there but nothing’s sticking. The issue is that you won’t find your answer by kicking ideas around in one place. Inspiration is born out of the real-world experience, realizations, and characteristics you notice in the world. You’ll need to get out of your comfort zone, observe, learn, adapt to new environments.

So now the question is where to start with this, let’s look at some places inspiration likes to hide:

Travel

Exploring places of the world you’ve never been to can open your mind to so many new things. Observing other cultures and analyzing their behaviors is important to developing an understanding of the world beyond what you know it as. People often take months, sometimes years to travel. During their time, they build knowledge of who they are and challenge their comfort zone. Leaving your comfort zone is a crucial aspect of becoming inspired. If you spend your whole life in a room with no windows, you wouldn’t know there’s a world out there.

Work On Yourself

So often we change things about ourselves, our clothes, our hair, our friends, but rarely do we ever change the way we think. Now changing how we think is one of the most challenging tasks we can go through as human beings. However, it can be the most rewarding and allow you to transform your whole life. To get started, you’ll want to develop a routine, and the morning is the most crucial time to have a routine in place. Researchers found that 92% of people who have morning routines are highly productive.

Setting the pace for the day and completing tasks will develop self-fulfilling habits within you. Working on yourself whether it’s reading, writing, or exercising, will all make you stronger mentally. This will lead to inspiration as you are keeping promises to yourself which also develops the highest level of confidence.

Listen To Mindset Mentors

As cliche as it may be, motivational speakers are great for gaining perspective. The advice given by these individuals is typically derived from a great struggle they’ve had in their life. Listening to how they overcome their obstacles can allow you to find yourself in terms of similar emotions, then you can take advice from the lessons they’ve learned. Speakers such as Jordan Peterson or Jocko Willink are some good options to understand different perspectives.

Not only this, speakers with high levels of knowledge in self-development can teach you how to take action and make changes to better your future.

Explore New Opportunities

There is no limit to great ideas, it just takes the right mindset to bring new ones to life. Someone may have done something but that doesn’t mean you can’t do it better. There are always new areas to explore with any given topic. Innovation to make products or services more easily accessible is extremely useful in 2022. Think about it this way, in America 60% of consumers order delivery or take out at least once per week, nearly 70% of millennials prefer to shop online, and 65% use online banking.

This goes to show that original ideas can be innovated to best serve the needs of today's market. 

Conclusion

Inspiration takes time, numerous test runs, opportunities, failures, and revisions are all things an entrepreneur will go through. The concepts that succeed are ones built on knowledge, research, and passion. Inspiration will allow you to put these efforts into your plan, and if you build it with this level of attention and care, you will achieve anything.

We work with successful companies to increase their net profits using exceptional custom software solutions, contact us here to see how we can help your business grow!