Fear of Decision-Making (a Rabbit in the Headlights)

In corporate circles, there’s a phenomenon known as the last mile. It was first identified in the telecommunications industry, and the problem went something like this: how do you get a signal to the end of the line that’s as strong as it was at the beginning? It’s a familiar issue with internet connections today. The further you get from the source, the lower the bandwidth, which is exactly why some wifi networks need a booster. The signal simply peters out after a certain distance.

The same problem shows up all over the business world. How do you squeeze the last bit of profit out of your market? What changes do you need to make so that your company’s effectiveness reaches all the way to the last mile, or to the least important customer on your list?

One factor seems to sit at the root of it, and that’s decision-making. Senior executives say they want frontline leaders to decide what to do next rather than wait around for instructions from their supervisors. But the real question isn’t how to make that happen. It’s why it isn’t happening already. What is it about the organization that keeps frontline leaders from making the very decisions senior leadership wants them to make?

The answer, more often than not, is fear. Frontline leaders are simply too frightened to act. Here are five fears that may be feeding their inaction.

Fear that they’ll get their hand slapped

The easiest way to find out whether this is a problem in your company is to look at the track record. What does the organization typically do when frontline leaders make decisions that stretch beyond their authority? How has it treated the people who have done exactly that in the past? The answers tend to tell you everything.

Fear that the company won’t back them if they make a mistake

Does this sound familiar? “We’ll back you 100%. Just make sure you’re right.” And do you know the most reliable way to make sure you’re right? It’s by not taking any chances at all. In other words, it’s by waiting for instructions from your supervisor, which is precisely the opposite of what leadership claims to want.

Fear of stepping outside their job description

How does your company really feel about frontline managers who set aside the chain of command? When expectations aren’t clear, people fill in the blanks for themselves, and a lack of clarity almost always pushes them to play it safe.

Fear of making decisions they were never trained to make

Does your company actually live by “It’s easier to ask forgiveness than permission”? Or does it say one thing and quietly mean another? People notice the gap, and they adjust their behavior accordingly.

Fear that they lack the information to make a good decision

Far too many supervisors still believe that information is power, and that hoarding it makes them more powerful. The result is that the people closest to the work are left guessing, which is no foundation for confident decisions.

So the question that has to be asked is this: how will your company remove these fears? From this day forward, what will it actually do differently? You get the behavior you reinforce, so it’s worth asking what behavior your company is reinforcing right now. Is the unspoken message really “Watch your step, we don’t tolerate indecision or wrong decisions”?

However you look at it, if your frontline leaders aren’t making the decisions you want them to make, it’s probably because they’re scared stiff to do anything at all. And so, like a rabbit caught in the headlights, they freeze and do nothing, because they simply don’t know which way to turn.