How to Become a Better Decision Maker and See Results Faster

I have a confession to make.

I used to be a delayed decider. I procrastinated making important decisions because I was afraid of making the wrong one. I thought I needed to have every single fact and every number in front of me first, and then I’d hash out every conceivable outcome in my mind before making a decision.

And my business suffered because I second-guessed myself and put off decisions that could have made money and grown my company. When I started making decisions faster, I found that I was more confident in the decisions I did make. I had more energy because I wasn’t draining myself worrying about making decisions, and the decisions themselves were smarter—and that’s when Sumèr started growing quickly. Here’s how I did it:

I learned to trust my instincts instead of living in my head.

We all have gut feelings, and all too often, we ignore them because they don’t agree with what we see on paper. While you must always keep your business numbers at the front of your mind and use them to guide you, your instincts will tell you what is right and what isn’t.

As you learn to trust yourself, your instincts will become sharp and clear. You’ll know right away when something isn’t right, so you’ll be able to correct it before you have a problem.

Surround yourself with people you trust.

I’ve made a few mistakes in hiring, and listening to my instincts helped me deal with it when I needed to. I’m fortunate to have a small core of amazing people around me who understand the Sumèr vision and have graciously allowed me to vent and talk out problems. Their insight has helped me immensely in making good decisions, and they help keep me grounded, but they also dream with me. Sumèr wouldn’t be what it is without them.

Failure is not what you think it is.

If you make a decision and it doesn’t work out, it’s not a failure. You’ve succeeded in figuring out what doesn’t work, and you’ve made the time and space to move forward and find out what does. The only time you fail is if you don’t get back up and persist after making a decision that doesn’t work.

Make the decision already.

This sounds trite, but it’s true. Make the decision, and let the chips fall where they may. You are going to make bad decisions from time to time. Every company has, and most of them have survived bad decisions to go on and make good ones. You will too.

Remember this: you cannot move toward incredible, awesome success until you make a decision to do it.

What important decisions have you made for your business lately?