When you take a close look at people who would be referred to as ‘charismatic,’ you’ll begin to see that they share a number of similar qualities and characteristics. One of the most prominent commonalities is decisiveness. Imagine, for example, six people in a room discussing where to go for dinner. It’s the charismatic person who will ultimately conclude the discussion with something like “okay – Italian it is!” Eventually, because of this ability, people begin to look toward these individuals whenever a decision needs to be made. This decisiveness creates respect, trust, and is one of the core qualities that employers look for when hiring or promoting
Being decisive isn’t easy. By definition, ‘to decide’ means to ‘cut off’ other alternatives. It’s a bit scary to abandon other potential courses of action that might have turned out to be better or more fruitful. What if I make a bad decision? What if other people think I’m stupid? What if a better idea comes along tomorrow? These are the kinds of thoughts we all can relate to – the thoughts that cause indecision.
Here are a few tips to becoming a more decisive person:
- Accept that you will make poor decisions. You’re human – deal with it!
- Ask yourself, “What’s the worst that could happen?” Chances are the consequences aren’t life-changing
- Ask yourself, “What is the cost of not making a decision?” Indecision has its own consequences
- Be confident in your ability to adjust if your decision doesn’t work out
- Have a ‘Plan B’ already thought through, just in case things don’t work out
Finally, have a little faith in your own intuition and judgement. Assuming you’ve done your due diligence, carefully weighed other’s opinions, and are motivated by the right reasons, chances are you won’t go too far wrong.
