How being Indecisive could Wreck your Career
Some days it is so easy to know exactly what decisions need to be made without a second thought. Then there are days when even the smallest decision seems impossible. This is just how life goes sometimes, even when it comes to work-related decisions. A problem arises when you have more indecisive days at work, than decisive ones. Being consistently indecisive, however, can have a large impact on your career.
Leadership
People do not have faith in leaders who cannot make up their mind. This is a plain and simple fact that all leaders must face at some point. Anyone who has ever had to lead a group project or presentation knows how much pressure is involved, and they also know how to pull themselves together to get the task done. Think about the leaders you have worked with directly and even indirectly. How many of them seemed like confused, indecisive chumps? The answer is probably not very many. You may not like the leaders you know, such as your boss, but that has no bearing on whether they can make a decision or not. In fact, many leaders end up not being liked simply because they have the guts to make the decisions that are necessary for the company.
What it all boils down to, is that most people do not want to be led by someone who cannot make effective decisions in a timely manner. People often view someone who can make important decisions as someone that they can trust. If your coworkers and bosses do not trust you, then you do not have much of a career path ahead of you.
Dependability
When you are given a task, your boss expects you to figure out how to accomplish that task. When you cannot make decisions regarding the accomplishment of that task, you probably will not get it finished, or at least not finished on time. When this becomes a common problem, you look less dependable to your company. Your boss may stop giving you important projects to do because of your track record of not being able to deliver results on time. Indecisiveness plays a huge role in how dependable people see you.
Quality
When you struggle with decisions, the quality of your work can suffer because of it. Sometimes you just have to take the task at hand, make some quick decisions and then run with it to see where it takes you. There is such a thing as putting too much thought into something. When you over-think and over-analyze, all you do is cause yourself undue stress. Stress leads to trying to cram to get projects done and that of course leads to poor quality work.
Advancement opportunities
The last thing you want in your way of climbing the ladder of success in your chosen field is a reputation for being indecisive at crunch time. When companies look for people to place in strategic roles, sharp decision-making skills is one thing they look for. Managers and higher-ups have to be able to think on their feet and make snap decisions sometimes. If you have any hopes of advancing in your career, then you will simply have to learn to trust your own instincts and start making decisions.
It is acceptable to be indecisive about chocolate cake or apple pie, it is not always acceptable to be indecisive about work related issues. Clients/customers may view your indecisiveness as a sign of not knowing what you are doing. This can make customers nervous and possibly make them want to take their business elsewhere. When your company "big wigs" see your indecisiveness, they can view it as perhaps you are not the right person for the job at hand. These are extreme examples of how indecisiveness can impact your career directly.
Part of the reason people have trouble making work related decisions is because they are lacking in the right amount of self-esteem and confidence in themselves. If you are having troubles fighting your indecisiveness, then you should speak to someone who can help you learn totrustyourself. After all, if you can't trust yourself, no one else will either.
