You make thousands of decisions every day—ranging from smaller insignificant ones, to those of great importance. But have you ever stopped to think about how you make decisions?
Why is it that some leaders find it easier to make certain decisions than you do? When you are confronted with a difficult decision, do you go with your instinct or do you seek consensus or approval from others?
‘Prudence’ is one of the four cardinal virtues, along with courage, self-control, and justice. All four of them relate to our ability to make the right decision—irrespective of the situation’s complexity, simplicity, or cost.
Making a prudent decision is not always easy. What is best for one party is not necessarily the best outcome for another. We are confronted with the conundrum of doing what is right regardless of the cost—personally or corporately!
Revelations of scandal, corruption, rumor, abuse, and cover-ups have led us to question the ability of many leaders to make prudent decisions. However, a good place for us to start is by rediscovering the importance of ‘prudence’ in our own decision-making.
Alexandre Havard argues that it’s our commitment to practice these virtues that shapes our vision of the world and desire to see people flourish under our leadership. He proposes three things to help us make more prudent decisions (Havard, 2007, pp. 57) –
The decisions you make each day have significant implications for your work and key relationships—including your family. Below are some more helpful questions to reflect on –
[i] Alexandre Havard, Virtuous Leadership: An Agenda for Personal Excellence (New York, NY: Scepter Publishers, 2007), 57.
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