Avoidant Decision-Making Disorder: 8 Symptoms of Chronic Indecisiveness & How to Recover

As a leader, when was the last time you delayed a hard decision? For example, making that new hire, purchasing new equipment, launching a new service or product, or terminating an employee? If you have experienced decision-making indecisiveness, you are not alone. In a ten-year study of over 2,700 leaders, 57% of newer executives noted that decisions were far more complicated and difficult than what they had expected (Harvard Business Review). In Proverbs 21:5, the writer warns against making hasty choices. But there is a difference between hasty and hesitancy. In the end, leaders must make decisions. If any of the following eight symptoms are true of you, you may have “Avoidant Decision-Making Disorder.”

1. Delaying until you have more information.

Sometimes delaying is the best option because you may not have adequate information to make a good decision. But when is enough information… enough? In his book, The Servant as Leader, Robert Greenleaf said,

“On an important decision, one rarely has 100% of the information needed for a good decision no matter how much one spends or how long one waits. And, if one waits too long, he has a different problem and has to start all over. This is the terrible dilemma of the hesitant decision maker.”

Sometimes, leaders do not have the luxury of complete information. And other times, leaders sometimes use the request for more information as an excuse to not make any decision.

2. Failing to make decisions due to decision overload.

Another symptom of decision avoidance is failing to make decisions because you are facing too many decisions at one time. A staff member needs a decision on an important matter. Your finance director needs the revised budget. A client is in a crisis and needs your input on what she should do next. Your spouse needs you to tell the painter your final choice of colors. And the list goes on and on! And every one of these decisions may include a host of related yet smaller decisions. Many leaders have an extraordinary ability to address multiple decisions in a short amount of time, but no leader has unlimited capacity for such overload.

3. Avoiding hard decisions.

In one study, researchers asked participants if they would prefer a bad tendon tear that required surgery or a less severe tear for which they could decide what treatment options they want with surgery as one option. They found that a large number of people would rather have the more serious injury than have to make a difficult decision! (“Why We Try To Dodge Difficult Decisions,” Vasundhara Sawhney). But hard decisions do not go away just by our avoidance. On the contrary, they often become even more complicated. If you avoid difficult decisions, you may be showing signs of Avoidant Decision-Making Disorder.

4. Experiencing option overload.

Option overload is different than decision overload. Option overload occurs when leaders are faced with multiple options regarding a singular decision, like if you are hiring a new staff member and you have 2-3 very qualified candidates. Or you have to decide between five exceptional proposals regarding new services but only have resources to launch one at this time. These are examples of option overload. In his book Paradox of Choice (2016), Dr. Barry Schwartz notes that while freedom to choose is a good thing, too many options can incapacitate a person’s ability to make a decision. In other words, when experiencing option overload, leaders sometimes avoid making any decision rather than an imperfect one.

5. Having an excessive need to be liked by others.

It is not uncommon or a bad thing to want to be liked by those around you, right? After all, except for the most hardened leader, those with names like “Ivan the Terrible,” “Chainsaw Al,” or “Psycho-boss,” most leaders have at least a few individuals from whom they seek approval. This may be seeking approval from a close friend, a board member, an investor, or a donor. But an excessive need to be liked by others can sometimes influence a leader to postpone, reverse, or totally avoid a decision even if the decision was a reasonable one to make. When this happens regularly, you may be experiencing a symptom of chronic indecisiveness.

6. Fearing that you might make a mistake.

Peter Drucker, one of the most prominent thinkers in leadership whose voice still influences leaders today, said, “Wherever you see a successful business, someone once made a courageous decision.” If you are feeling fear surrounding a decision, it usually means it is an important decision and it can have serious repercussions. This is why courage is an essential ingredient in every successful leader. Every person who started an organization will tell stories such as putting their home up for collateral or quitting their previous job and walking away from medical benefits, a guaranteed salary, and a retirement plan. Every decision a leader makes has no guarantee of success. And it is their fear of a mistake that causes some leaders to end up with a case of avoidance disorder.

7. Worrying that you may miss out on a better option.

FOMO – fear of missing out. It is not just a challenge faced by young people who may delay accepting an invite to a party to see if a better option arises! Leaders also experience FOMO. What if I hire this person and then a better one applies next week? What if I sign this lease and a better space becomes available next month? What if I don’t hire this person and no better options become available? These are just a few examples of fear of missing out on a better option. And it is this very fear that can contribute to Avoidant Decision-Making Disorder.

8. Fearing that you may cause pain to others.

Having genuine concern for the feelings of others is a good trait. After all, an absence of feeling is a sign of a sociopath! So, any leader who is needing to lay off or fire an employee should be concerned about the implications of that decision on the employee, their family, and the other team members. But concern is different than avoidance. Concern may influence how you implement the decision and what you can do to reduce the impact of it, such as the nature of the severance package or providing transition coaching. But it should not impact whether you make the decision if that decision is in the best interest of the mission and health of the organization.

How can you recover from “Avoidant Decision-Making Disorder”?

Most leaders have pluses and minuses in their balance sheet, including when it comes to making decisions. If you struggle with decision indecisiveness, here are a few simple steps to help you overcome it.

1. Identify which one or two of the above symptoms are most common for you and give thought as to why those particular ones are more common in your leadership.

2. Learning about how you make decisions is beneficial. Consider reading “Why We Try to Dodge Difficult Decisions,” by Vasundhara Sawhney (Harvard Business Review) or “Leaders, Stop Avoiding Hard Decisions” by Ron Carucci (Harvard Business Review) or watch the TED Talk from Barry Schwartz on “The Paradox of Choice.”

3. Use the wisdom and counsel of others to help you feel more confident and decisive when a decision needs to be made.

Contact us to learn how our experienced coaches can help you develop the skills needed to make better decisions.

Jay Desko is the CEO of The Center Consulting Group and brings experience in the areas of organizational assessment, leadership coaching, decision-making, and strategic questioning. Jay’s degrees include an M.Ed. in Instructional Systems Design from Pennsylvania State University and a Ph.D. in Organizational Behavior and Leadership from The Union Institute.