Making decisions happen

The first step in effectively influencing a decision is to deeply understand and acknowledge the current decision path . If you don’t demonstrate a clear grasp of the reasoning behind the existing trajectory, your perspective will likely be dismissed before it even gets considered.

The true measure of leadership isn’t about winning every debate; it’s about ensuring that your perspective is heard and that it adds value to the conversation.

In reality, influencing decisions requires hard work, discipline, and a willingness to stake your reputation. At its core, decision-making involves creating tangible artifacts—through the act of making—that enable decisions to be reached.

With alignment in place, the next step is to recommend a better solution . Critiquing a decision without offering a viable alternative is a fast track to losing credibility. If you’re going to challenge an idea, you need to bring something stronger to the table.

here’s the hard truth: if a decision is made that you strongly disagree with, and you failed to provide input beforehand, that’s on you . Influence isn’t about reacting after the fact—it’s about proactively shaping the conversation before a choice is locked in. If you don’t step up and contribute when it matters most, you can’t be surprised when th... See more