A frequent comment to me-- "I suppose that when you go into a new assignment you find lots of bad decisions have been made!"
No that's typically not the case; rather previous management didn't make any decisions--there was a backlog. An organization suffers more from the lack of decisions than from bad decisions. Why?
With bad decisions at least you learn; you get feedback; you have a frame of reference; the middle managers in the organization at least have a direction. With no decisions little is learned; you get no feedback; you have no frame of reference; and middle managers have no idea what to do.
In your first 100 days in a new assignment, make sure you clearly identify the key decisions that must be made, make them, and communicate those decisions clearly and continuously to your managers. Sometimes they're tough and you're tortured; how do you deal with that?
Agonizing for an extended period does no one any good, not you, your organization, or your family and friends. Of course you need to have gathered the required inputs, the factors that are important for consideration. But then if you're still going back and forth, here's a trick i've used. I more-or-less hypnotize myself, saying i've fully and unwaveringly concluded on decision option A (vs. B). I tell my wife but no one at the office. I go to sleep that evening with decision A locked in my brain. Then i see how I feel the next morning. Typically it's either relief (aah--I do really feel comfortable with that decision) or dread (I really can't buy it). It's a good technique to use when the time is right, when the inputs are in, when the organization is ready for your decision. Don't get tangled up in your underwear of uncertainty, make the tough decisions, and get on with getting results.
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