How to cure decision fatigue as a leader.
We’ve all experienced decision fatigue at least once in our lives, right? Did you laugh? So did I! If you’re in any type of leadership role (especially a parent!) decision fatigue is consistent and persistent.
Decision fatigue is defined as: the deteriorating quality of decisions made by an individual after a long session of decision making.
How we define it: when you start saying “yeah sure, that sounds great” just because you can’t fathom another complex thought in the day. Can you relate?
So how do we cure it? Well, to be honest with you there’s no sure way to 100% rid yourself of ever feeling overwhelm when it comes to making decisions as a leader.
What I can share with you is my secret weapon for overwhelm. It’s proven time and time again, how powerful it is. Not just in my life but my clients lives as well.
First, let’s take a walk through the world of overwhelm. Fun, I know!
Overwhelm often happens when we either have too much to do, and not enough time. OR we have more complex problems to solve with our one decision.
Complex problem: a people problem. Why? It usually means there’s a higher chance of confrontation. The scary C word even the most “I welcome confrontation!” people subconsciously fear.
It’s subconscious because the fear comes out in the form of procrastination. Procrastinating on deadlines, on deliverables and (you guessed it) decisions.
Confrontation is just another word for potential resistance, and for us beautiful humans who are natural people pleasers, resistance means rejection.
And honestly rejection sucks any way you slice it.
Being in a position of “leader” automatically puts you in a place of wanting to be liked. I mean of course it does, right? You’re leading a group of people. It’s at the root of human existence: connection.
So when we are faced with making a difficult decision, the easy path is to put it off until BOOM: there’s no other choice but to face it head on. Leaving a trail of worry behind you, and a less than stellar experience for the people around you.
On the other side of decision fatigue, like the definition put it: you’ve had to make SO many decisions the lines become blurred and the path becomes fuzzy to expert decision making.
So you start to rush decisions in order to get out of the chaos that is constant deciding. (Helllooooo entrepreneurship, if you can relate!)
The quality of decisions start to deteriorate and this is where things start to slip through the cracks and massive problems/habits start to form.
“Ok so how do I navigate this better?!”
I know, I know stay with me!
We have to first stop the snowball of overwhelm by taking a pause. Hand on your chest, closed eyes, deep breath. RELEASE the pressure of perfectionism, procrastinations evil cousin.
Leadership is someone who guides others. Not “solves every problem perfectly” but supports others. Which leaves room and a little grace for failure. We are all just figuring it out as we go, so release it with love.
Next, we need to move forward with intent in order to ensure quality control does not get lost in translation.
What do I mean? Prioritization.
How do you prioritize? With our problem timeline. This resource is something we teach in our I.M.P.A.C.T. curriculum (let’s work together).
Simple problem timeline:
Is this a people or a task problem?
Task: simple, low confrontation
People: complex, high confrontation
Task problems take less brain power and usually can lean on a framework or process to fix. Leverage the systems you have! If you don’t have them - why aren’t we working together yet?!
People problems take a little more thinking. But not too much, don’t make it complicated. Remember everyone only wants 3 things: to be seen, heard and valued.
So go into it with more listening, than problem solving. Walk them to the solution, don’t just point in the direction. Really listen.
Now that we have identified what kind of problem it is, we need to now identify the size of the fire to put out, so we know where to start.
Keep it simple: how close is it to being a huge problem? Or is it already one?
What does a “huge problem” mean to you? What does it mean to your team in the task area AND the people area?
Do you see where I am going with this? Things become easier to place and navigate when we can better identify the boundaries.
This is where having a guide like The Leader HQ really helps. This is the work we do with clients, identifying what small vs huge problems are and at what point to address them.
Clarity comes when we can lay everything out and start to organize one piece at a time. Kind of like cleaning out a closet, right? You pull everything out and then can clearly see what needs to be placed where.
Creating a better navigation system for future needs!
Being in leadership means being a great decision maker, but it also means we need to prioritize that time to just pause before it turns into overwhelm.
The success of our teams is a direct reflection of how we take care of our mental and physical state.
So next time you start to feel the snowball effect of overwhelm in decision making, think of us. And this:
Pause
Breathe
People or task
What really needs my attention now?
Remember our team has a different idea of what an “emergency” is. So keep that in mind when communicating urgency or lack there of. Keep it kind!
You’ve got this.
If you need support in leadership, you know where to find us!
Give us a call 864-202-4952
