“There is a time for many words, and there is also a time for sleep.” ― Homer, The Odyssey
I have always taken pride in my ability to make a sound decision. Whether it was which soda to stock in the vending machine as student body president in the ninth grade, disciplinary decisions as President of my fraternity while at the University of Florida, organizational evaluations as President of the Florida Association of Realtors or voting decisions during my two, four-year terms as a County Commissioner in Polk County. Decision making has always been at the center of my life and career.
Decision making is a requirement of competent, effective leaders. How a leader of people makes those decisions is where I ultimately place my confidence. It is how I evaluate who I like to support for elected office and who I back as leaders in the various organizations of which I am affiliated. Leaders rarely know of all the issues that will arise before them, but how that leader forms their opinions and how they evaluate facts and situations, are so important in how they decide.
Some decisions need to be made quickly, often on the fly. Others can be afforded more time. Recently, I was tasked with making a decision that was extremely important to an affiliated organization and to a high-level leader with the added complexity of this person being a friend. Luckily, this was one I could “sleep on” for a brief time, but still a decision had to be made.
There were many moving parts to this decision with potentially significant consequences. Because of this, I took time to gather more facts, speak with trusted individuals, reflect on potential reactions and outcomes and in the end, decided to “sleep on it”.
Clarity started to form in my mind on how to proceed forward with this decision. The lead up to the outcome consumed a good portion of my time, energy and emotion. It was my responsibility to decide and lead the organization. So, I did. And I am thankful, that in this specific case, I was able to “sleep on it”, decide, and help move the organization forward.
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