A hugely important aspect of effective leadership is having a clear understanding of how you make decisions. And what can help you make those decision. Your decision-making style plays a big role in how you lead, communicate, and respond to challenges. That’s where the Decision-Making Style Inventory (Rowe, Mason, Dickel, Mann and Mockler, 1994) comes in. This tool is designed to help you explore your natural approach to decision-making and how it may be influencing your leadership.
Everyone has a unique way of approaching decisions. Some people take a highly structured, information-heavy path. Others might lean on intuition, gut feelings, or collaboration. The Decision-Making Style Inventory gives you insight into these tendencies. It looks at how much preparation you typically do before making a decision, how much you rely on data and structure, and what kinds of influences shape your decisions. These patterns are part of your overall decision-making style, and being aware of them is the first step toward improving how you lead.
The real power of this tool is in self-awareness. It’s not about comparing your results with someone else’s or ranking your decision-making skills against those of your peers. Instead, it’s a personal growth opportunity. When you understand your default style, you can start to think critically about how it affects others. Does your leadership style make your team feel confident and informed? Or might it leave people out of the process or create confusion?
For example, if you naturally prefer a highly analytical decision-making style, you might excel in situations that require careful planning and detail. However, that same style might slow you down in fast-moving environments where quick, decisive leadership is needed. On the other hand, if you tend to be more spontaneous or intuitive, you may shine when innovation is needed, but struggle when structure and consistency are required. Neither approach is “right” or “wrong.” It’s all about context; and balance.
That’s why the Decision-Making Style Inventory encourages you to look at the styles you use less frequently. These underused styles might be the key to developing a more flexible, well-rounded approach to leadership. Strengthening your decision-making abilities doesn’t mean changing who you are. It means expanding your toolkit so you can adapt to different situations more effectively.
By reflecting on your decision-making style, you can also improve your communication with others. When you understand that different people use different styles, you can begin to interpret their actions and choices with more empathy and clarity. This leads to better collaboration, less conflict, and stronger relationships -all essential components of great leadership.
Ultimately, leadership is about making decisions that move people and organisations forward. Whether you’re leading a team, managing a project, or setting a strategic direction, your ability to make thoughtful, timely decisions is essential. The more you understand your own decision-making patterns, and the more you work to strengthen them, the more effective and resilient you’ll be as a leader.
So if you’re looking to grow in your leadership journey, take some time to explore your decision-making style. Use the insights from the Decision-Making Style Inventory not just as a snapshot, but as a starting point for development. With increased self-awareness and a willingness to grow, you’ll be well on your way to becoming the kind of leader people trust, respect, and want to follow.
