Decision Fatigue

I would like to offer a warning. During times of crisis, it is required of leaders to lead, this means making decisions, lot’s of decisions. On top of the pressure to consider every option and consequence is the constant stream of people seeking your direction. A crisis may require a leader to make or remake decisions in moments that took in some cases years to amass, leading very quickly to what I call “DECISION FATIGUE”. Symptoms may include irritation, desire to isolate, indecision, and getting downright nasty with people. Please don’t fall into the trap of allowing temporary circumstances to cause lasting damage, especially with those you love and trust most.

5 Ways to avoid or manage “Decision Fatigue”

  1. Empowerment Leadership: Trust people, share the load and share the blame. We don’t have to make every call.
  2. Consider the context: For you, it may be the 9000th decision you have made today but for that volunteer or employee it may be the first thing they have asked of you.
  3. Take a pause: Take 5min to pull away and ask God for His wisdom and help, it is easy to forget that He is not in crisis mode.
  4. Ask someone you trust to observe you during the process and give you honest feedback on your methodology, not necessarily your decisions.
  5. Get the right people in the room when making a big decision. This has bitten me more than once.
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