On dealing with excessive hesitation

"I need you to go out to the orchard and pick a basketful of apples," a mother instructed her young daughter. "Just walk row by row and pick the prettiest ones. There are plenty on the trees, so just check each tree once and move along. You won't have time to dawdle; I'll need them in time for lunch in a half-hour."

The girl thought this should be simple enough. However, as she walked the rows of trees, she found it difficult to choose. She would look over one tree but think that the next tree might hold better apples. After all, she only wanted to pick the best and reddest. But when she reached the edge of the orchard, her basket was empty. And she was late for lunch!

"All those trees and I couldn't make up my mind," she thought. "What if I didn't get the best ones?"

Was it the fear of making a poor decision or just uncertainty? That day, she realized that hesitating to make a decision and holding out for something better had prevented her from realizing the value of what was right in front of her.

We have all second-guessed ourselves or hesitated at some point — and usually for good reason. Perhaps new information came to light, or a budget couldn't be stretched, or staff couldn't handle any more work. Those are reasonable causes for hesitation.

And while I often advise people to trust their instincts, it's also important to know the difference between hesitating and deciding on inaction because you don't know where to begin.

Small or large problems that can be overcome should not hold up a project when all the other elements are in place. Putting off a decision disrupts the momentum when key players are ready to go.

If making a decision is the problem, explore the possible reasons: Fear of failure, fear of success, lack of resources or experience, tight deadlines, even sheer laziness — all are potential buzzkills.

Those are, however, all surmountable problems. Fears, even when reasonable, are only as scary as you make them. Failure isn't fatal, as I like to say, and success is sweet. Visualize what a completed project would look like and go from there. Put your imagination to work, and allow yourself to dream a little. Think about what could go right instead of what could go wrong.

When resources are in short supply, turn it into an opportunity to make do with what you have. Look for ways to repurpose existing budgets or staffing to adjust to changing needs. It's not always simple, to be sure, but organizations face similar challenges every day.

If you're short on experience, get busy and study up. Find a mentor, take a class, read everything you can get your hands on. Pick the brains of your staff and colleagues.

If laziness is the big issue, then my suggestion is to move aside and get out of the way for those who can get the job done. Seriously. Motivation is critical to decisionmaking.