The Leadership in Action Series: On Strategic Leadership

Good Choices: Making Better Decisions by Knowing How Best to Decide

Christopher Musselwhite

Effective decision makers know that deciding what’s best and knowing how best to decide are two very different skills. A leader’s mastery of the difference between these two capabilities has major implications for both the decision maker and those affected by the decisions.

Making good decisions is a primary responsibility and challenge of leadership. Every day, individuals and organizations face a constantly changing landscape of dangers and opportunities. To some degree every decision directs strategies, commits resources, sets current courses of action, and creates future opportunities and challenges.

Research shows that organizations with above-average ...