December is full of decisions – personal as well as professional! From selecting the perfect gift to staffing and budget choices. Some decisions can be made quickly with little consequence, others require time, data, criteria, and careful evaluation to avoid BIG consequences.
Leadership style often plays a part in how decisions are made and who owns them in the end. Some leaders use different processes, depending on the magnitude of the problems, some have the one-size-fits-all approach (and thinking of some of my gifts, that often turns out to be-one-size-fits-none).

Who Owns your Decisions?
So, how do you approach decisions? Anyone who has been in education for a while has probably run into one of these leadership styles:
Bobby B. Boss – When Robert has a decision or problem, he owns it. He works on it alone, solves it, then hands implementation over to someone else. Enough said. He is an authoritative decision maker.
Debbie D. Facilitator – Debra likes to work on decisions collectively, collaborating with stakeholders. Once the group has made the decision, they own it. She is a facilitative decision maker.
Connie S. Consulter – Connie gets information and opinions from the people around her, but takes the information she gets behind closed doors and make the decision herself. When all is said and done, she owns the decision. She is a consultative decision maker.
Don T. Delegator – Don hands the problem over to you. Tag you’re it. Now you own it.

Best Chance for Best Choice
Regardless of the type, size, and importance of the decision being made, you have the best chance of making the best choice if you use a decision-making process that incorporates
• The best thinking of stakeholders
• Pre-determined and prioritized criteria
• Data needed to evaluate your choice
• Risk analysis
Different decision-making styles can work well depending on the situation, but ensuring the best decisions no matter what the situation, from gift buying to big budget decisions, requires putting some thought into it. Quality decisions require quality thinking.