Advice to stop making bad decisions

Make them too fast – We’ve learned that haste does indeed make waste. We make lots of decisions each day. We would be poor leaders if we couldn’t make most of them quickly. We’d always be stalled from our potential. When the potential outcome is significant, however, the more time we can give to it the less likely we are to make a mistake – certainly the ones that could have been avoided with more thought. Learning when to wait, seek God, the counsel of others, and for better personal discernment is part of maturing but can help us avoid some of the more costly bad decisions. Make them too slow – Equally true. There are times when a fast decision is easy; even prudent. If we know the right answer – if it has a Biblical basis, for example, or our conscience is clearly convicted – but it is simply hard to implement. We’ve learned that waiting seldom makes the decision easier and often only complicates the process. We’re more likely to make a bad decision the longer we wait. Make them to keep people happy – The right decision is seldom the popular decision. People pleasing as a decision motivator rarely accomplishes matters of worth. It often makes the worst decision of the options available. Make them when angry – Most of us don’t think clearly when our emotions get in the way. If we’re angry – or emotional in any other way – we tend to over- or under- react. Emotionally based decisions, espe- cially immediate decisions, are often ones we tend to regret later. Make them alone – “Without counsel, plans fail, but with many advisers, they succeed.” (Proverbs 15:22) A part of leadership involves standing alone at times but rarely are we really alone. We should always walk in the counsel of God’s Spirit, and, in my experience, even when we have to make the decision seemingly alone – if we’re making wise decisions – it’s not really that we’re alone. We’re just ahead of where others know we need to go but haven’t yet been willing to go. Building a collaborative environment as much as possible helps us avoid bad decisions.