We all make decisions every day, and every decision has consequences that can have some degree of impact on our lives. Several years ago, I struggled with making tough decisions, especially when I was faced with multiple choices that all seemed good. I always wanted to keep my options open, and a decision inherently blocks all options but the one you chose. To decide means to cut off from any other choice.

It was painful for me to be cutting off choices that were good choices. What if the choice I made appeared to be good, but it ended in disaster? What if I could have made a better choice? As a result, I hesitated to make tough decisions by not making the decision at all. This strategy is a common one among those who fear decision making.

I learned over time that by not making a decision, I was actually making a decision. In every case, I unintentionally made a bad decision through indecision.

My leadership abilities changed profoundly after I realized the effect that indecision had on my life. Napoleon Hill wrote this about Henry Ford, “One of Henry Ford’s most outstanding qualities was his habit of reaching decisions quickly and definitely, and changing them slowly.”

Hill also writes, “Analysis of several hundred people who had accumulated fortunes well beyond the million-dollar mark disclosed the fact that every one of them had the habit of reaching decisions promptly, and of changing these decisions slowly, if, and when they were changed.”

I have found that people who struggle to lead effectively struggle to make decisions in a timely manner, and they tend to change their decisions regularly. As a person who always worked to keep his options open, I found myself vacillating from one idea to the next without ever really taking a stand by making a decision on the most important ideas.

It is imperative that you learn to make effective decisions as quickly as you can, and then you must hold the line on those decisions through thick and thin. I believe it wise to always leave room for a change, but that change should be made slowly and with great care.

Once you’ve committed to a decision, you no longer waste your time in turmoil and indecision. You are now free to focus on next steps and moving forward. You’ll be well on your way to doing great things.