What do all the great leaders achieving remarkable success have in common?
Decisiveness.
Making numerous decisions is something we do daily on a professional and personal level. Decisiveness is required by employees as well to be self-reliant and responsible. The advent of the fast-paced 21st Century needs people to take swift action without wasting any time.
How Does Decisiveness Bring Remarkable Success?
First Mover Advantage
This is something most of us studied in business school over and over again.
It simply means being first to the market and seizing the opportunity before your competitors. The firm that launches first becomes synonymous with that particular product or service.
Amazon is probably the best example of taking the first mover advantage. They created the first online bookstore and their success is indeed remarkable. That’s why when someone says e-books, your mind goes straight to Amazon Kindle.
Similarly, Netflix were the first ones to launch an online streaming platform in 2007. They completely revolutionised the way we consume and enjoy entertainment. To add insult to injury to other streaming brands such as Hulu, Amazon Prime etc, the major chunk of the market share is still in the hands of Netflix despite being significantly more expensive than others.
Time is money. Time is opportunity.
That’s why the business sector treats decisiveness as a personality trait. The ability to take correct decisions under pressure and uncertainty takes a lot of courage and intelligence. Traders, investment bankers, content creators and athletes rely on being decisive in key moments and taking risks.
That one decisive trade in the stock market or that one decisive pass to your teammate in a football game can change the market or the game and bring immense success.
How do Great Leaders Display Decisiveness?
All great leaders and managers rake in remarkable success through their combination of decisiveness, intelligence and actions.
When a situation requires imminent decision-making and action, decisive managers gather facts, analyse the situation, look for alternatives and then choose the best course of action- and they do it swiftly.
Furthermore, decisive leaders stick to their decisions. This doesn’t mean that they are arrogant. It just indicates that they trust their instincts and are 100% committed to making it work. And if a decision isn’t fully right, they are more than willing to be dynamic and make changes if necessary.
Decisiveness and dynamism go hand-in-hand.
Written by Gagan Dhawan
