Two posts in 1 day! Here’s part 7, and part 6 here with links to parts 1 through 5 at the top.

8 – Make sound and timely decisions.

Today we are talking about NOT doing the above..

People know if you are being rushed and guessing. If things feel reckless and not planned. These things can contribute to your team feeling unsafe. Likewise, if you procrastinate over making decisions, or spend too long planning every detail, opportunities can be lost and your team can grow frustrated with you. As Patton said:

“A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week.”

George S. Patton

Patton essentially said the same thing as this principle – make a good plan (it doesn’t have to be perfect) and execute it when you can make a difference in the success or failure of the mission.

The other element of this is that you, as the leader, are the decision maker. This is related to principle #3 – Seeking out and accepting responsibility. It all ties together.