Establish a Council of Advisers

Every day, in all aspects of our lives, we are faced with decisions.  Some of these decisions have very little impact on others, like what color socks you choose to wear.  Sure, you would like them to match, yet it has no bearing on others' lives, nor on your influence as a leader.  Other decisions are very important, and their impact can be spread to many and be long lasting.

Consider these examples: taking a new job, relocating, getting married, approaching an employee or client with bad news, calling a teacher with your frustration, promoting someone, how to invest your money, and the list goes on.  Each of these decisions will have lasting effects, and they impact many others.  As you aspire to lead a great life, and bring the best out in others, you also need to ensure you are doing your best, and this means making the best decisions.

Leaders are naturally driven to act, to make decisions, to take charge of situations, and this is also one of our greatest weaknesses.  The leader that acts too quickly, or acts alone when it comes to these major decisions will ultimately find themselves learning from many mistakes.

The best decisions in life are made with the council of others.  In order to have their council, you need them to be engaged and aware of the situation.  This means, whether at work or at home, you need to selectively choose a management team.  This team needs to:

• Journey the path with you.  They need to work along side you, or share life experience with you.  You need this person to be someone that is familiar with the situation and with you.
• Be honest with you.  There is nothing worse than making a decision based on incomplete information, or not truthful advice.  You need to know that this group will be honest with you, nor matter how convicted you may be in your direction.  They are the final safety net to help you make the best decision possible.
• Care for you.  That may sound a bit warm and fuzzy for the workplace or organizational structures, yet if your most trusted team members do not truly care for you and your objectives, than they are not in a position to offer you advice.  
• Be small.  Advice of 2-5 is best when you are seeking council.  More than a small group will create problems, yet, as you can see from the list above, you cannot really have that many close, trusted advisers.

Take a honest look at those you have surrounded your life, your team, your business with.  Make a list of those that are definitely in your circle of advisers, those that could be and those that shouldn't be. Seek out those on the first list for the big decisions.

A final thought on this topic:  The concept of seeking advice and council from a trusted team is in no way abdicating your role as a leader and a decision maker.  The is not about taking a vote, or reaching consensus on every decision, rather, this is about your not acting hastily to avoid critical mistakes.  By the process of including advice from trusted advisers in your life, you are able to gather different views, perspectives and potential outcomes.  You slow down, which is so important when making big moves, because you wait to understand the many angles and opportunities in which to consider.

For each major decision you make, seek your team, wait for their response, and then act.  I promise you, the outcome will be far more fruitful then if you just "go-it" alone.