Those with big jobs who make big decisions, how do you know you're right?

[WhatASwizzz]

Sorry if the thread title is a little woolly! I've recently started having some professional coaching, offered at work (due to me being female in a very male dominated sector and having just moved into a more senior role). After a few sessions, we've hit upon a stumbling block. I'm scared of being wrong, getting things wrong, being criticised. It's hindering my decision making capabilities and at times makes me seem defensive. I usually have reasons behind my decisions but my role is quite subjective (marketing) so everyone has a bloody opinion and sometimes I just freeze and can't make a decision. Then I go the opposite way and make snap decisions because I feel it makes me look authoritative. So my question is to those with jobs where you need to make decisions that others might question, how do you do it? How do you know you're right? And how do you deal with opposition?

I think you just accept that you won’t always be, and that often you’ll never know if you were right or not as you won’t see your “minority report”.

You really never do know if you’re right. What you can do is make sure that the reasoning you’re using to make the decision is sound and based on experience and that you’ve properly considered all the alternatives. Sometimes that does mean the most senior person making a final decision but if you can clearly explain to everyone why this decision is being made, that’s the best anyone can do.

When I was junior, my manager told me leaders only have to make the right decision 50% of the time. The important thing is to know how you're going to deal with the consequences of whatever decision you make, either way. I often think about that.

I'm not always right but I listen to colleagues, have a lot of experience and trust my gut.

I'm not afraid to change my mind either.

I listen to those who know best and are experts in the field before signing my name to something. If I'm wrong I own it and work to fix it. It's all you can do.

Leave your pride at the door and be flexible is my best advice.

Unless you are a doctor or surgeon, really what is the worst that will happen?

as long as you have good reasons for your decision and can explain them then it’s best to crack on. Then if wrong choice you just own it and change what needs to be done.

nothing worse than a faffy or decision avoiding manager. Be brave, make a choice and own it.

Decisions are made on balance of professionals opinion and evidence. Build in a tolerance for mistakes for everyone and use them to explore the process.

I do a quick risk assessment: what's the worst thing that could happen, how likely is it that it will happen.

• If the impact and likelihood are low, then go with your best judgement and make a quick decision. If it goes wrong then you'll be able to pick up the pieces.
• If the impact is high and the likelihood is high that it will go wrong then take more time, bring in expertise if you need it, figure out what you can do to make it less risky, put in place monitoring so if something does fuck up you notice it fast and can get to fixing it.

It’s a key leadership skill. Recognising that sometimes there isn’t a clear right or wrong decision but there is a need to move forward. If you have really listened, surrounded yourself with people with more knowledge than yourself and can see a path, sometimes you just have to be brave. Embracing failure as learning sounds naff but it is very true.

In my experience senior leaders rarely have to take responsibility for making rubbish decisions. The lower down you are in the hierarchy the more you are held accountable.

Senior people have no special ability to work out if they are doing the right thing or not.

The good ones take good advice and think it through.
The lazy ones opt for the path of least resistance.
The bad ones just pick things at random depending on who last bent their ear.

What they all have is the ability to risk being wrong and not give too much of a shit.

The good ones because they took advice and did their best.
The lazy ones because they rarely take risks.
The bad ones because they genuinely don't care.

One thing I will add is not everyone actually wants to be the person making big decisions - and that is OK. So work on this, but if it isn't your thing find another opportunity that plays to your strengths more.

Confidence in your own decision, and the ability to plan for and handle any consequences that may arise is better than making the "right" decision. There is often no such thing as a right decision anyway.

most of my decisions are based on customer data, my team is diverse and reflects our customer base, and I ask them to pitch their ideas first so that I get truly objective inputs and they aren’t swayed by my initial standpoint.

It may feel that way but it really isn't. The buck stops with the signatory and all the crap that comes with it.

Read ‘feel the fear (and do it anyway). It is a bit old fashioned now, but the message is sound

Yes this - bullshitting and just picking a direction are considered leadership skills. Someone has to decide. Often doesn't matter what the decision is so long as one is made.

Embracing failure as learning

Seconding this, it has some really good practical advice about decision making

I consider other equivalent or similar experiences in the past, the views of my team, consult other senior colleagues where i work and friends/peers in my industry.

I dont go with the majority, I go with what feels right based on all of the above. I have back up plans for where I think it may go wrong. I explain my decision to my team so they understand my reasoning.

I've been in my industry 23 years so have a lot of reference points and a reliable and trusted network of peers.

The way I see it, if I can't be confident after doing all of the above, what more could I do? The answer is nothing. So I'm just as good if not better than the next person in the chair so I'm pretty confident on an average day

Take advice, evaluate, reflect, have a vision, plan strategically. Accept you'll sometimes make mistakes. Have a team of trustworthy people between you and the rest of the hierarchy.

A combination of being a really deep technical expert in my area, knowing that I don’t know everything, and supporting myself with a bunch of people both in my team and outside it who know the stuff I don’t and asking them for input.

Then making the decision I can justify.

Sometimes I do have to make a snap decision. And then I take a deep breath and make it based on what I have in front of me at the time.

Neither approach stops me overthinking it afterwards!

I deal with opposition by explaining my reason and interpretation of the situation. However, my industry is highly regulated and rules based. Yours sounds more subjective.

You need to get a few wins under your belt to boost your confidence and for others to follow you. I have said in meetings that ultimately, it's my call and my job on the line so I'll pull rank to make the decision if I have to.

For me part of the decision making process is knowing how I have arrived there, and being able to evaluate the risks. In a way I am Lucky because decisions are well documented.

I agree that sometimes it is just a case of making the decision that’s important.

Dealing with opposition either involves anticipating where that will come from and dealing with them beforehand - one thing I find incredibly useful is finding who the likely blocker actually listens to themselves and influencing them first. Or if no time for that, being as certain as I can that that decision was mine to make. I’m quite lucky in having a boss who has my back though.

My late husband was managing partner of a large law firm. He said he would make a decision- it might be the wrong one, which he could then do his utmost to rectify, but he always maintained it was far worse not to make a decision at all. Decisiveness and owning it when you err are crucial to managing well.

You don't, you use you skills and experience to make the decision and make sure you have a solid rationale. Sometimes things don't work out, and you take the responsibility for it