What’s Worse Than a Bad Decision? Letting Something Else Decide for You

Professor Long’s 26 Rules of the Business Road – Rule #14

There’s an old saying (and you know I love old sayings) that goes, “People who make decisions are called management; people who don’t make decisions are called former employees.” Well, you get the idea – decisive times call for decisive action!

Hence, Professor Long’s Rule #14: “Make a decision!!!” (Yes, with three exclamation points. It’s that important.)

We’re called upon to make a lot of decisions every day – what to eat, what to wear, what to say (or what NOT to say), where to go (to work or not to work or where to work), etc. In fact, a recent study by Columbia University says we make about 70 decisions per day!

Granted some decisions are made by NOT making a decision – but is that a good idea? Letting the “situation decide for itself” can lead to unexpected consequences (and not necessarily good ones). I can recall many times when people put off taking decisive action until it was too late – circumstances had already determined the outcome. Those folks felt that “got them off the hook,” but the outcome was less than desirable. 

When you don’t follow Rule #14

Want an example? I’ll give you a couple of them.

First, one that involved a VP of sales at a large corporation.

“I’m really faced with a dilemma,” he said to me. “One of our largest clients wants us to renegotiate our contract with them, but it’s good for another 5 months, and I know they are only trying to leverage the expiration. What do you think I should do?” 

“Go to the bargaining table – what would it hurt?” I responded. “If they’re asking, there’s a reason for it.” 

The VP hemmed and hawed (that’s old school for “procrastinated”) and finally said, “Well, I think they’re just trying to leverage our relationship, so I’m going to wait it out.”

Yep, you can guess what happened – the VP did wait – and lost the account. The reason the customer wanted to renegotiate? They had been approached by a new competitor with a very low price – and the inaction of the VP allowed the competitor to grab the account.

Another great example is from a personal friend. She was in her late 40s, and she came into my office one day, closed the door, and started talking.

“Hey, you’ve had some health problems before, and you overcame them,” she said. “I’m having some chest pains and I don’t feel good. What do you suggest?” 

I immediately suggested seeing a cardiologist, having tests done (I won’t bore you with the long list of tests I’ve had) and getting everything investigated to the fullest. 

She thanked me, and then mentioned she was also having headaches. Alarm bells went off, I told her I had worked in diagnostic medicine for years and this was NOTHING to ignore. She agreed that something had to be done and left my office.

A week later, I stopped her in the hallway and asked if she had seen anyone.

“A friend of mine recommended some new vitamins and an exercise regimen,” she said. 

“That’s not enough!” I exclaimed, but she brushed me off.

“It’s not that bad, I already feel better after a week.”

You can guess the outcome of this story. She passed away from cardiac arrest less than a year later. It was part of her family history and her personal health that she chose to ignore and, eventually, delaying medical care or choosing to “wait and let life decide” took her life. Not the best decision, in my humble opinion. 

Why rule #14

So back to Rule #14: Make a decision!!! You make small decisions every day – don’t be afraid to make big ones. I know in many cases decisive matters are referred to a group, rather than being made by individuals. I am reminded of the quote, “No monument was ever erected to a committee”!

Being able to make an individual decision is the hallmark of a leader. Rest assured, you will make some incorrect decisions – but, as they say, “Two wrongs don’t make a right, but three lefts do”! If your decision turns out to be “less than optimal,” then make another decision to correct the initial effort. 

Life often offers us the opportunity to “right the wrong” or to go in another direction. Take advantage of that and continue to study your big decisions to make certain you made the correct call.

Is it easy to be decisive? Is it simple to just make a judgment call and move on? Of course not! Some verdicts are coin flips – it could go one way, or another. There’s not always an obvious resolution apparent or an obvious outcome.

And, lest you misunderstand, decisions (especially big ones) are not to be made lightly – particularly when you’re deciding the fate of the company, the market direction, or determining critical new hires. However, being a successful entrepreneur is all about decision-making, from deciding when to start the business to when to stop the business (should it fail).

But make the decision! Don’t let indecision and inaction decide for you. You won’t like how it ends.