Don’t Delay Decision-Making

Meghan Boyer

Not making a decision is almost always worse than making a bad decision, says leadership expert and author John Hamm. Not making a decision at all, although it may seem the safe choice, actually strips an organization of its momentum.

Consider the problem of chronically underperforming workers, which can create resentment among other employees and drag down productivity. Leaders must have a plan for getting these problem children off the playground—and they must act on that plan without procrastination.

“The worst scenario of all is to have a plan for dealing with underperformers, to identify who those individuals are, and then not pull the trigger on the announced consequences, for reasons of sentimentality, weakness or favoritism—or worst of all, an attempt to preserve leadership popularity,” says Hamm. GP