“Wherever you see a successful business, someone once made a courageous decision.” – Peter Drucker
I love that quote. Sometimes I think success and leadership (and maybe lots of other things) are summed up in those twelve words. As leaders, we cannot hope to ever be successful without making courageous decisions.
Yet, so many leaders fail to do it. Quite often the main reason seems to be fear of failure, but the reality is that the only way to avoid failure is to decide courageously. Too many times we are afraid to make a decision, so we end up with some wishy-washy compromise where we try to have our cake and eat it too. Rarely is that a recipe for success.
I think fear of what others might think is another reason our courage deserts us. How often have you thought in your business or personal life that you know what you need to do to be happy and successful, but you’re afraid to do it? How many things do we miss out on because we lack the courage to make a decision?
Think about your organization. Think about its past. What decisions helped create the business you see today? Think about the people making those decisions at the time (maybe it was you) – how much courage did it take? Even the act of starting a business requires courage. How can we successfully continue them without that same courage?
I challenge each of you to think about a decision you’re wrestling with right now. Maybe it’s related to your business, maybe it’s related to your personal life – it doesn’t matter. What’s keeping you from making a decision? Don’t make excuses – the honest answer is that, at least in part, you’re lacking the courage to make a decision.
Be bold. Be courageous. It’s the only path forward. Take that path today.
