Judgment: The Foundation of Thoughtful Decision-making

Decision-making is rarely an easy task. It requires a great deal of time, talent, energy, and information. During the next few weeks, we will explore the characteristics of decision-making through the wisdom of prominent individuals – some familiar to you, while others may have lived before your time. Regardless, the sage advice they provide is well worth considering.

Why Judgment is Important in Decision-making

Decision-making is a lifetime endeavor. Even if your characteristics are plentiful and your business connections are ample, the leader’s judgment is what most influences decision-making. Poor judgment generally creates poor decisions. Good judgment normally produces good decisions. I use the terms ‘generally’ and ‘normally’ because, even with the best-laid plans of mice and men, nothing happens 100 percent of the time. If you add in poor judgment, that dramatically reduces your chances of success.

Good judgment also requires adequate experience, and in strategic decision-making, some education is beneficial. An observation I made prior to retiring from the Army was that,

“Decisions I was allowed to make as a Captain were now reserved for Colonels.”

I thought, ‘Without those decision-making experiences at the junior officer level, why would my decisions as a Colonel be any better than those made by a Captain? ‘ I posed that question to the powers-that-be at the time with simply a shoulder shrug as a response.

Why Judgment Creates Thoughtful Decisions

As Americans, we seem to pride ourselves on using cliches. One leadership cliche that always bugged me was,

“It’s better to make a bad decision, than no decision at all.”

I wrote in my leadership book, Inspired, Not Retired: Leadership Lessons from Father to Son that,

“A bad decision is often simply a decision too soon and with little insight.” (Randolph, 2019)

Inspired leaders use their best judgment in making decisions; the result is a thoughtful commitment to action. Thoughtful decisions are not haphazardly made but carefully considered, even in the heat of battle. In the long run, using sound judgment to make thoughtful decisions saves time, talent, and treasure for organizations.

How are you developing the judgment and, by default, the decision-making abilities of your junior leaders?

Are your decisions thoughtful, based on your judgment or your personal predilections?

How have you developed your judgment to make the best decisions possible?

Has a lifetime of thoughtful decisions allowed you to Find Your Purpose and Fulfill Your Mission while Forging Your Legacy?

#judgment #decision-making #foundationalprinciples #leadership #leaderdevelopment

Reference:

Randolph, Jr., BW (2019) Inspired, not retired: Leadership lessons from father to son.  Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing https://www.amazon.com/dp/1536818461

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Dr. Burl Randolph, Jr., DM, is an award-winning author and retired Army Colonel with nearly 32 years of service and three combat tours in Iraq. He is currently the Founder of MyWingman, LLC, a Business Leadership & Management Consulting company that “Inspires Legacies That Last” since 2015.