One of the biggest challenges I’ve faced throughout my career is the fear surrounding decision making. I used to become paralyzed in the face of major decisions, because I was weighed down by the feeling of responsibility and the trepidation of future regret. I analyzed and overanalyzed every decision, believing that I was responsible for the outcomes I experienced.
As I’ve supported over 1000 people in navigating their career journeys, I’ve discovered that I am not the only one who has experienced this. Regardless of how much we’ve achieved in the past, or how many times we persevered through difficulties, many of us struggle with the fear of finding out we’ve gotten something wrong. It’s easy to become so concerned about making a mistake that we refuse to take action at all.
We feel like inaction is putting the decision on hold, while it’s actually a decision in itself.
The unknown, our own insecurities, and the weight of responsibility can block our ability to think through challenges and move forward decisively. It can be overwhelming to consider how profoundly our actions can affect our own lives and the lives of those around us. Sometimes this translates into hesitating to leave a role, a company, or an industry that no longer aligns with our goals. Other times it appears in the form of failing to provide the structure and guidance our team members need to develop and thrive.
We feel like inaction is putting the decision on hold, while it’s actually a decision in itself.
No matter what situation we find ourselves in, the reality is that our success and our ability to lead is closely linked with our propensity for making bold decisions.
Here are 3 ways to shift your mindset and own your decisions–even before you know what the outcomes will ultimately be.
1. Give yourself permission to make mistakes.
You will make mistakes, and it’s ok! It’s how you respond and recover from mistakes that matters.
When you accept the reality that perfection is not required for you to be successful, you remove the power from your fear of failure. As humans, we can all look back at the past and identify choices we would make differently, based on our current perspective. No one is immune from the possibility of being wrong or making a mistake. But the fact that we are all capable of messing up isn’t an indictment against us. It actually proves that getting something wrong doesn’t have to define us.
No matter what situation we find ourselves in, the reality is that our success and our ability to lead is closely linked with our propensity for making bold decisions.
The truth is that every influential person in history has made countless mistakes! What sets them apart is not that they were right more often than they were wrong, but the fact that they were resilient in the face of “failure.” Success means releasing yourself from the expectation of always being right. It means refusing to use the possibility of regret as a motivator.
You don’t have to avoid error in order to make an impact on the world. Being infallible isn’t a requirement for success. The way you respond to the decisions you wish you could change is what allows you to make a difference and continue growing in the face of disappointment.
2. Remind yourself that you can make a new decision tomorrow.
Learning to adapt to each new and different situation that arises allows you to be resilient and succeed, no matter what you face. Every day we’re given new insight and information that affects how we view the world and the outcomes we’re looking for. There’s no way to anticipate with 100% accuracy what the next week holds, let alone 5 years from now.
So while we do our best to think through potential considerations, we won’t have all the information we need to have perfect clarity for the future.
That’s why it’s essential that we learn to accept the fact that today’s decision doesn’t have to be permanent. You can make a choice to leave your current role or industry today, and if you find out you want to return, you can make a new decision–whether it’s in 6 months or 6 years from now.
Success means releasing yourself from the expectation of always being right. It means refusing to use the possibility of regret as a motivator.
Not only can you make a different choice later on, but when you do, you’ll have new experiences and insights that you’ll carry with you. Becoming more comfortable with our ability to change and adapt to new situations in the future helps take the pressure off, which improves our clarity and leads to more effective decision making.
3. Embrace vulnerability as a strength.
You don’t need to be perfect to succeed. Your capacity for leadership grows as you embrace your own weaknesses and uncertainties. This means that the answer isn’t avoiding or hiding our vulnerability; it’s recognizing that acknowledging our imperfections strengthens us as decision makers and leaders.
No matter what level you’re at in your career, or how many people you’re leading, your impact is not determined by your flawless execution of your responsibilities. In fact, the more willing we are to expand our awareness of our own weaknesses, the better we’ll be able to guide our teams and accelerate their growth.
Your capacity for leadership grows as you embrace your own weaknesses and uncertainties.
If you find yourself agonizing about your decisions and afraid of taking action because you’re not certain it’s the right thing to do, let go of the pressure by reminding yourself that perfection is not the key to success. Embrace your vulnerability and your ability to adapt. Learn to release the fear and own your decisions with confidence.
Looking for ways to develop your capacity to lead and to inspire growth? I’d love to connect. Check out my Career Success Coworking program to learn about working 1:1 with me, or reach out to schedule a virtual coffee with me.