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Andy was the Senior Vice President for the Service arm of a National commercial construction firm. He did his best to get out in front of the “firefights” that are so common in construction, and even defined goals for his team each year. But despite his best efforts, Andy often found himself and his team in a reactive mode.
Each year began with excitement for his team’s goals. But by their mid-year check-in, at least one-third of the goals were off track. What went wrong?
Andy didn’t realize that the strength of a business plan ultimately depends on the daily decisions that carry it forward. Even the best plans can be derailed by poor everyday decision-making habits. Up to this point, Andy’s everyday decision-making was determined by one thing: felt pressure. He focused on immediate fires and delayed long-term decisions until they created more pressure – and more fires.
This decision-making pattern is the default human tendency – postpone decisions until they hurt or the fire becomes too big to ignore. Many leaders focus on what’s urgent and postpone critical decisions until they require impulsive quick fixes. But delayed decision-making patterns become delayed decision-making habits. Eventually, teams drift away from their goals, production schedules and profitability.
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