My Boss Won’t Make a Decision

How do you deal with a boss that has difficulty making decisions?

• First, you need to fully understand the consequences of a boss that has difficulty making decisions.
• Next, you need to figure out why your boss might have difficulty making decisions.
• Then, you can determine what you can do about a boss that has difficulty making decisions.

Consequences of a Boss that has Difficulty Making Decisions

• In most cases, people (both internally, and externally) become frustrated by the lack of action.
• In some cases, unnecessary delays become emergencies.  This is entirely avoidable.
• Difficulty making decisions diminishes the credibility of the department or business.

Why Might Your Boss have Difficulty Making Decisions?

There are a variety of reasons people have difficulty making decisions.  You need to figure out which one applies to your boss.  Here are some ideas:

• Risk Aversion.  If your boss is highly risk averse, s/he will see every decision as an exposure to potentially undesirable consequences.
• Perfectionism.  If your boss has perfectionist tendencies, then decisions may be delayed pending perfect information.  Unfortunately, most decisions have to be made without perfect information, which is a significant problem for perfectionists.
• Confidence.  Your boss may have difficulty making decisions because s/he feels s/he is in over his head.
• Protecting People.  Sometimes people have difficulty making decisions because they don’t want to overwhelm others.  While this may be a bit paternal, it is a least well-intended.
• The boss may know something you don’t.  Sometimes, the boss may have information that you don’t.  As a result, a decision may be being delayed for entirely appropriate reasons – just not reasons you’re aware of yet.  For example:
  • Perhaps you boss’s employment is at risk.
  • Perhaps your employment is at risk.
  • Is there a project announcement forthcoming?
  • Is there some other announcement coming out?

What to do if Your Boss has Difficulty Making Decisions

First, you must realize that you do not control your boss’s behavior.  You can however attempt to influence it.  In order to do so:

• Try to understand why he won’t decide.
  • Is it occasional or habitual?
  • Is one of the reasons discussed above the cause of indecision?
• Do all your homework
  • Assess risks that may be of concern to your boss.  Ensure you have mitigating actions in place.
  • Understand and mitigate the worse case scenario for your boss.
• Consistently engender confidence and trust.  If you have dropped the ball before, it will be difficult to get your boss to trust your judgment this time.
• In some cases, you may want to say, “I’m doing this by this date, unless you tell me not to.”
• Highlight that no decision is a decision.  As paradoxical as it sounds, it is true.  Some people think that by delaying a decision they are keeping options open.  Most often, the failure to make a decision in a timely manner commits a manager to a course of action (whether s/he realizes it or not).

3 Things to Remember About Dealing with a Boss that has Difficulty Making Decisions

1. If this person is habitually undecided, s/he won’t change.  You can influence, but you can’t control his/her behavior
2. There may be information you don’t have that fully justifies the lack of decision.
3. Be very careful about circumventing your boss’s authority.  If you go out of your way to circumvent your boss, it will almost certainly backfire on you, so be careful.

Watch the ‘3-Minute Crash Course’ about Difficulty Making Decisions (CLICK THE ARROW TO START THE VIDEO):

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