Making decisions continues to be one of the toughest jobs for a leader…or, more correctly, making the right decision. We are no longer in the day and age where the leader knows best, has all the information, and makes the best decision. Perhaps we were never in that space. But now, more than ever before, decision-making comes with risk, second-guessing, and pushback. With that in mind, how can we make the best decision possible? Here's a simple framework for making a decision in the new world of leadership. I've used it many times in making decisions, from picking a place to eat, to hiring a new staff member, to deciding on a long-term strategy.

I call this decision-making framework the leadership cycle. It's a cycle of decision-making that comprises six movements:

1. Define your core
2. Collect information
3. Analyze the right information
4. Implement options
5. Evaluate results
6. Assess your core

The first movement is to define your core. This movement explores what makes up your non-negotiable. These need definition and clarity for the cycle to begin. Defining your core is a common element of leadership writing. A literature survey shows references to mission, vision, values, and culture, amongst other descriptions of the central core of a leader. The rise of personal mission statements and values reveals the growth of this concept in individual leadership development. A common understanding today in hiring is that the potential employee is searching to see if their vision and values (core) fit the company's vision and values (core). Defining your core is the first step in the cycle of leadership. 

You will need to know how to collect information about your decision options in order to make a decision. A person seeking to grow in decision-making needs to be able to collect information for their work. This will require specific skills and tactics. Collecting information isn’t just randomly collecting every and all information. An array of information needs to be collected, moving from the specific focus field of expertise to other fields that may impact the decision to be made. Information collection can be time-consuming and poses the possible risk of never-ending. The potential for information flooding exists, which is why the cycle does not end with collecting information. An essential next step is to analyze the right information. 

3. Analyze the Right Information 

When collecting information, it is easy to be quickly inundated with all sorts of data about what is happening. Not all data is equal, and this third movement requires great talent to find and leverage the right inputs for use. The person making good decisions will need to sort the information into two buckets: usable/relevant information and unusable/irrelevant information. Then, they must engage the usable and relevant information and discard information in the second bucket.

Further analysis of the usable and relevant information is now needed. Critical gifts of discernment, wisdom, listening, evaluation, feedback, and insight will be required to distill the masses of information collected into pertinent data. There will never be a comprehensive or perfect data analysis, which is not the goal. However, analyzing the information to search for patterns, trends, strengths, weaknesses, threats, and opportunities that reveal the correct information to respond to is essential. Jim Collins (2009: 22) highlights the failure to do this as stage three of five stages in the decline of successful organizations. “In stage 3, leaders discount negative data, amplify positive data, and put a positive spin on ambiguous data. Those in power start to blame external factors for setbacks rather than accept responsibility.” Analysis of the RIGHT data is critical. After analysis comes action, the next step in the cycle: implement options. 

The fourth movement in the cycle is to implement options. After discerning the data, choosing and executing the options is the next step. This requires the leader to leverage skills such as brainstorming, risk-taking, recruitment, and conflict resolution, amongst others. Two dangers lie in this fourth movement. The first danger is “analysis paralysis,” a leader’s inability to move from analysis into action. They constantly search for more data and are unable to decide. The second danger is moving too quickly after identifying the first option. Good analysis of the information will lead to brainstorming of solutions. Good brainstorming allows for freeform thinking that captures all sorts of ideas, from the mundane to the ridiculous. This type of ideation allows for creativity. It takes time and cannot be rushed. After ideation occurs, the next step is to critique the options. Critically assessing the options for alignment with the core of the organization, the trends in the data, and the resources available will guide towards solutions. Implementing options will lead to better results. Those results will need evaluation, which is the next step in the cycle. 

The fifth movement in the cycle is to evaluate results. As options are executed, their impact will be seen. A successful leader will know how to evaluate these results to determine success or failure. Our cycle brings us back to collecting and analyzing information captured in one movement called evaluation. This is not a broad sweep of all information but a focused review of the results of the work implemented. A core step in the cycle is evaluating the results of the work done and the influence executed. Information to be assessed can be captured through formal processes (feedback systems like surveys or polls) and informal processes (anecdotes, stories, and other soft data). The actual step of evaluating is conducted in a variety of ways. Sometimes, the evaluation unearths a deep insight leading to a final cycle step - assess their core. 

The sixth movement in the cycle is to assess your core. Based on the feedback from the results, an assessment of core non-negotiables is essential. The first step in the cycle calls for defining your core. The core refers to enduring principles that guide people and groups. Collins (2002:55) describes these as the core ideologies of visionary companies, ideologies like mission, vision, and values. While these may not change, major events in an organization or an individual's life will cause them to rethink these core beliefs or principles. A failure to make this movement may result in frustration as the cycle is repeated, causing the individual or organization to continue to fail in their efforts. Entities that show commitment to their core are praised for courage through adversity when they succeed or condemned for irrelevance or blindness when they fail. In How the Mighty Fall and Why Some Companies Never Give In,  Jim Collins (2009:68) describes this failure as the third stage, denial of risk and peril, in a five-stage process of decline, ending in irrelevance or death as the final stage for an organization.  

A successful leader will guard their core tightly but not hold to their core blindly. Assessing the core while considering results is important. This requires the courageous and difficult step of looking at deeply held values, questioning core missions and visions, and even transitioning away from work considered to be central. A good leader assesses their core and adapts as needed. When significant enough insight is gained from the cycle, these core elements may even be changed. This will lead to better decisions in the future.

A final thought on the leadership cycle has to do with the frequency of revolutions. A revolution is when one moves through the cycle from defining one's core to assessing one's core. In other words, one revolution has occurred when all six movements are completed. Revolutions can dramatically increase in frequency, depending on the context of leadership. A single individual (e.g., a pastor) might complete dozens of revolutions in a day as they process multiple situations or events. A group might also run this cycle multiple times a week based on the normal work schedule (e.g., planning a worship service from week to week). At other times, both an individual or the church community might move through the cycle only once in a quarter or year (e.g., setting annual goals and budget planning). The frequency of revolutions in the cycle is variable, but the steps in the cycle are consistent. 

So you want to make good decisions. I recommend you use the cycle to help you. That would be a good decision. Along the way, you might need help. That's where coaching might be good. Coaching is a helpful resource at any stage in the cycle. It can help you discover your core, find ways to collect and analyze information, guide you through implementing options, evaluate results, and reassess your core. Start making better decisions today!

-Dorian Botsis

P.S. Our 4Sight coaches are available to help you navigate your leadership and influence and empower your team. You can learn more about the coaching services we offer and connect with a coach at get4sight.com/coaching. We would love to partner with you in your leadership journey!