Making decisions is one of the key functions of senior executives, but really, in any walk of life, and even in the family effective decision making is essential to health, wealth, and overall happiness.

Why is it then, that making decisions is a hang-up for so many people, making it one of the leading “hidden causes” of procrastination?

One reason is people are often operating in a vacuum of information. The person who knows he needs to have a nasty skin eruption looked into may put off going to a doctor because he doesn’t know where to turn to find a reliable specialist. Usually healthy as a horse, he hasn’t seen a doctor for years, and he doesn’t know where to look or whom to call first for guidance.

Another problem for people is the over-generalization that decisions are almost always irreversible, when that’s definitely not the case. The job hunter who is offered a reasonably attractive post, but that has a distinct disadvantage or two, fails to act because in his mind he believes if he accepts the offer he’ll be “stuck” for years.

It never occurs to him that he can un-accept the assignment just as quickly as he grabs it, especially if a sounder opportunity opens up for him.

Unless you’re about to jump off a cliff, almost every other decision is reversible, with less effort than most of us imagine.

Of course managers who want to be heroes to their staff put off vital matters regarding who needs to be downsized, or reassigned, retrained, or demoted. Never easy to do, acting in this arena takes its toll on the grittiest bosses.

One thing they need to tell themselves when they sense they’re resisting making a critical personnel decision is that it will never become easier; and that there’s really no “good” or “ideal” time to face facts and pull the trigger.

All they can hope to do is to be thorough in preparing for the event, assuring them that they’ve objectively weighed the relevant alternatives.

In some cases, a decision doesn’t have to be made at all. Instead of loading our kids up with antibiotics or other drugs at the first sign of a cold we can purposely delay, monitoring the progress of the illness until we’re convinced it won’t pass on its own.

Not making a decision is also making a decision.

Echoing this idea is former Governor of California, Jerry Brown, who said “Inaction can be the highest form of action.”

While most of would love to be considered “decisive,” in some cases it is better to be patient, and prudent.

Dr. Gary S. Goodman, President of Customersatisfaction.com & The Goodman Organization is a popular keynote speaker, management consultant, and seminar leader and the best-selling author of 12 books, including Reach Out & Sell Someone and Monitoring, Measuring & Managing Customer Service, and the audio program, "The Law of Large Numbers: How To Make Success Inevitable," published by Nightingale-Conant. He is a frequent guest on radio and television, worldwide. A Ph.D. from USC's Annenberg School, a Loyola lawyer, and an MBA from the Peter F. Drucker School at Claremont Graduate University, Gary offers programs through UCLA Extension and numerous universities, trade associations, and other organizations. He is headquartered in Glendale, California, and he can be reached at (818) 243-7338 or at: [email protected]

For information about coaching, consulting, training, books, videos and audios, please go to http://www.customersatisfaction.com

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