3 Questions to Overcome Delayed Decision Making

When your business starts to grow beyond start up and into second stage, you’ll need to expand your capacity to take on more. If you’re thinking how that can be possible when your day is already overfilled, then something needs to change.

If you’re constantly delaying decisions or putting off implementing projects, your business will be seeing its own demise rather than dollar signs.

The next time you’re delaying decisions, consider asking yourself these questions:

What’s the strategy?

If your mind is full of all of those menial tasks that need to be completed, rather than strategy, you will quickly stunt your growth. Many second stage business owners work hard in their business and get distracted in the day-to-day tasks rather than staying focused on the overall strategy.

What happens is they delay decisions because of sheer overwhelm. Your overwhelm may be the result of missing a systematic way of reviewing your strategy. Incorporate regular meetings to review your strategic plan. When you do, you’ll be able to make decisions faster and consistent with your game plan rather than the current emotion of the day.

Is your biological hardwiring getting in the way?

Your hardwiring is natural to who you are and affects your communication as well as how you stay motivated. When under stress, your hardwiring becomes amplified and can affect your decision making. You might be delaying decisions because a part of your hardwiring is not being met in some way.

For example, one CEO client kept delaying the implementation date for a new IT system. He was naturally wired to avoid conflict.  When stressed, his hardwiring becomes amplified. When there was disagreement from his team on a set implementation date, he decided to delay the decision to move ahead many, many times.

There were cost overruns for the project and other expenses eating away at their profitability. Sometimes it takes noticing when your natural wiring needs to be managed.

With a bit of coaching, he created awareness around his need to avoid conflict and he was able to cut through the self-imposed delays, make a decision on a date, and steer the team through any concerns.

Is there fear?

Fear is usually present when considering of all of the negative implications rather than what can be gained. When you identify what’s behind the fear, there is a solution to overcome it.

When I challenged one of my clients to a stretch revenue number, there was an instant fearful reaction. One by one we identified her fears about what she didn’t have in place, how she would need to get her team on board, and even her perceived staffing shortage. We got her team on board, addressed each concern, and developed a step-by-step Business Blueprint. Within 30 days, she had a 90% increase in her sales and on the way to her new revenue number.

The next time you keep delaying decisions, ask yourself these questions to move yourself and your team from paralysis to profitability.