Boost Your Management Confidence: 3 Tips for Decision Making

Have you ever been promoted from within a company and suddenly found yourself in a management role, responsible for making important decisions for the team and the company? If so, you’re not alone. In fact, most managers started out as employees and were promoted from within, just like you. As person who worked their way up the ranks, I know firsthand the challenges that come with this transition. That’s why I’m excited to share with you some tips I learned through experience on how to make confident decisions as a new boss.

First things first, let’s talk about the importance of making decisions with confidence. As a manager, you’re responsible for leading a team and ensuring the success of the company. Your decisions have a significant impact on both, so it’s crucial to make them with confidence. However, it’s natural to second-guess yourself from time to time. That’s why it’s essential to keep these confidence-boosting tips in mind during your decision-making process.

1. Do not take things personally.

This is easily the most critical lesson I learned as a manager. When you make decisions, you’re bound to hear complaints and grumbles from some team members. However, it’s essential to remember that these complaints are not about you as an individual. They’re about the decisions and their potential repercussions. As a leader, your focus should be on the overall goal of the company and the team, not on individual team members. While it’s natural for your team to think about how decisions affect them personally, it’s your job to move the entire team forward.

2. Field questions with the confidence that you are making these decisions for the benefit of the company.

Your team members may have questions about the decisions you make, especially if they feel affected by them. It’s your responsibility to explain why these decisions were made. If you made the decision for the benefit of the company, there should be no problem explaining that. It’s also a great opportunity to remind your team that decisions are made for the benefit of the team as a whole. This will help your team become more goal-oriented and focused on the bigger picture. If, for some reason, you made decisions for personal reasons, be prepared to explain that as well.

3. Remember that you’re human and may not enjoy everyone on your team.

It’s not uncommon to inherit team members or hire someone and later regret that 

decision. The reality is that sometimes you’ll have team members you don’t gel with, and it can be challenging for everyone. The best advice I can give is to be objective and ask yourself why you dislike working with this person. Look at their contributions and how they affect team morale. If the rest of the team enjoys working with them and they’re high performers, then you need to figure out what the issue is. If they’re driving down team morale and creating more work for others, it’s your job to give them feedback and coach them up to becoming accountable and functioning team members. While not every team member is coachable, it’s your duty to try. If, after trying, it’s still not working out, at least you’ll know you gave it your best effort.

Making confident decisions as a manager can be challenging at first, but with time and experience, it becomes more manageable. Remember to be patient with yourself and treat each day as a new learning opportunity. You’re on your way to doing big things, and big things take time. 

Are you new to the leadership journey? Or, maybe you’ve been in this position for a while and have some pearls of wisdom to share. Either way I would love to hear your story and perspective so comment and let me know your thoughts.

And a little advice: Stay positive, stay patient, and good luck!