4 Principles for Wise Decision-Makers

One of the things I love about being an entrepreneur is that I don’t need anybody’s permission to dream big, pray boldly, plan strategically, and act decisively. As entrepreneurs, our decisions carry the promise of reward and the risk of failure. With so much at stake, we should be confident in our ability to make wise decisions when faced with difficult choices.

Stick to Your Guiding Principles

Within my marketing agency, we practice mission-driven leadership, the discipline of aligning strategic decisions and daily choices with the vision for our company and clients.

The guiding principles that define our decision-making approach are God’s principles (what some translations call commandments or precepts) found throughout Proverbs, Psalms, and the stories of God’s relationship with his people.

Big dreams flourish when they are firmly rooted in God’s guiding principles. Francis A. Schaeffer’s thoughts from Art & the Bible remind us, “The Christian is the one whose imagination should fly beyond the stars.”

We make our wisest decisions when we are dependent on God for guidance and direction. To be a mission-driven leader is to be surrendered to God and acknowledge that your decisions result from yielding to what God chooses to do through you.

Understand Your Decision-Making Approach

You are the culmination of the choices you make: Daily decisions to trust and obey; defining choices that refine your character and set the direction for your life.

Every person pursues their goals with a promotion focus or a prevention focus. According to author and behavior scientist Will Leach,

“People with a promotion focus seek strategies that help them maximize their chances of successfully reaching their goal.”

That means the decisions you make are focused on gaining something or achieving a goal.

Similarly, when a prevention focus drives your decision-making approach, you’re making decisions to avoid or minimize your chances of failure or loss.

Neither of these decision-making approaches is good or bad; we often use both methods at different times and situations. When you’re aware of the approach you’re using to make a daily or a defining decision, it can help you deal with indecision and ambiguity.

After nearly 40 years in business, I’ve learned excellent leaders know how to deal with ambiguity. No matter what your role or profession, unresolved decisions create “open loops” and ambiguity. Open loops create anxiety in our minds and unnecessary unease in our hearts. Learning how to close the open loops teaches us how to ask questions, make wise decisions, and move forward.

Don’t Make Decisions Alone

When we approach difficult decisions without the benefit of wise counsel, two things can happen: The pressure to perform can rob us of the joy of serving God in our work, or it can drive us to pursue perfection, often at the expense of others.

Even King David struggled with the pressure of difficult decisions:

How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?

How long will you hide your face from me?

How long must I make decisions alone with sorrow in my heart day after day?

How long will my enemy triumph over me?

Psalm 13:1-2, GOD’S WORD Translation Bible

There’s a third way.  You don’t have to make decisions alone, and you don’t have to drive yourself to accomplish everything on your own.

Whether you approach decisions with the promise of gain or fear of loss, don’t make big decisions without praying boldly and intentionally. As Alan Fadling writes in An Unhurried Life, “… To what degree do I see prayer as a strategic activity of leaders in general and of my leadership responsibilities in particular?”

Act Decisively

When I was growing up, I often sought my parent’s advice on big decisions. We would talk through the pros and cons of the decision I needed to make, and when I was ready to decide, they would remind me, “Once you’ve made your decision, get comfortable with it. Don’t look back.”

Being comfortable with a decision means it may not be time to act, but you must be ready to take action. As entrepreneurs, we are often ready to move when God is not.

Sometimes God is often ready to move when we are not. When you pray and prepare in anticipation of God’s answer, stay alert for when he is ready to roll. Waiting doesn’t mean you’re sitting still. When life places us in circumstances that require decision and action — but the time to act is not right — spend the time you’re waiting to pray and prepare for action.

Excellent Leaders make Strategic Decisions

Don’t be so concerned with what your next steps are until you’ve made a strategic decision. Strategic decisions lead to wise choices, and it will be easier for you to manage those choices if you’ve made the right decision.

In Christ, you have nothing to prove and nothing to lose. With each new day, you can walk boldly and confidently into the future to which God through Christ calls you.

When you stop worrying about ambiguity (open loops) and instead focus on how God equips and prepares, you are free to dream big, pursue your goals, and be a mission-driven professional who is dependent on God for every difficult decision.