When Managers Are Afraid to Make Decisions…

…it places significant constraints on the teams, preventing them from moving forward when they depend on decisions that are continually postponed.

…Team members may become frustrated and disengaged when they perceive a lack of leadership or indecision from their manager.

…Trust between the manager and the team can erode if team members perceive the manager as indecisive or unwilling to take responsibility for their role as a leader.

This often stems from feelings of insecurity and typically leads to numerous alignment meetings and excessive discussion instead of productive work. A common tactic to lead away from the relevance of a decision and to mask these insecurities is to focus on budgets and responsibilities, as they offer endless opportunities for discussion, without reaching a concrete alignment any time soon.

In a leadership role, it is crucial to be comfortable, or at least come to terms with, making uncomfortable decisions. The ability to make decisions is of utmost importance, and every leader should be prepared to take the lead, as their title implies – "leader."

Managers aspire to be effective leaders, yet they often struggle with more complex decisions, especially those involving risk.