I consider making decisions and solving problems to be one of the main functions of leadership. If a leader is going to have a guiding influence of their team, the way in which they approach problems and make decisions very well may determine their effectiveness. When approaching problems and making decisions, I am very analytical and strategic. I am also an external thinker, which means I do my best problem solving when I can talk through the problem or decision with others. By involving others in the problem-solving and decision-making process, I feel that my decisions have a better result than if I had acted alone.
Another element of my decision-making process is that I am very vision oriented. I try to make all decisions with the big picture and larger vision in mind. I attribute this to my strategic thinking and maximizer strengths. My favorite book, Simon Sinek’s Start with Why, has taught me the value of contextualizing actions and decisions with the big picture, or the “Why.” When I started my work with LEAD, I had no prior experience with the office and a very limited knowledge of their programs. For this reason, I was very interested in understanding the “Why” of the office and so that I could use that understanding to make decisions and plan my program pieces. To achieve this and communicate the idea to others, I led a “Finding LEAD’s Why” workshop during our second staff retreat. With this “Why” in mind, myself and the other Leadership Consultants were able to make better decisions and overcome challenges because we had the guiding light of our “Why.”