The delayed obvious decision, or not?

Many times in my career, I have wondered why the leadership did not do XYZ, when it was obvious to me what needed to be done in a situation. It would baffle me why decisions take either too long or were suboptimal from my vantage point. I would often think to myself when I am in a senior position, I will make these calls more emphatically and at lightning speed.

As I stepped into more senior roles, specifically over the last 4 years leading The Smart Cube's Global Operations and Shared Services, I have had a few realizations about decision making.

1. What may appear as a sub optional decision from your vantage point, maybe optimal from the organization's standpoint. Often, in the moment, it's not easy to peel the layers of what works for you vs. what works best for the organization. People will often come with compelling logic on what makes sense to them. It's your job as a leader to hear them, and if they have missed a perspective, help them see the other side's viewpoint.

2. Most (but not all) decisions are best implemented when the stakeholders involved are bought into the solution/ perspective. This often takes more time than taking immediate unilateral decisions but makes progress more inclusive and sustainable.

3. Some questions, but not all, require expedited decision making. Knowing when to speed up things, and when to sleep over them is a choice that can make or mar the trajectory of your teams.

4. Timing of the debate matters. Encouraging a debate before a decision is made is healthy, and having it continue after it is made is detrimental to progress.

5. While there is a lot of data available today, many decisions require taking a call about the future. Data can guide, but cannot take the decision for you. Since you are accountable for your decisions, you must listen to everyone, but take your own decisions as you are accountable for them.

6. Popular decisions aren't always good, and unpopular decisions aren't always bad.