For many founders, decision making or just plain being decisive is key to their success, but there comes a point in time in a company's life where founder impulses fall short, and processes need to take their place...and Hope is NOT a strategy!

When it comes to starting a business, decisiveness is often viewed as a key to success.

After all, it takes a great deal of determination and confidence to transform a vision into a thriving company. However, as a business grows and evolves, founder impulses can no longer be relied upon to guide decision making. Instead, processes must be put in place to ensure that choices are made thoughtfully, with a focus on the company's long-term goals.

It can be tempting to rely on hope as a strategy for making decisions. After all, hope is a powerful emotion that can inspire us to pursue our dreams and make bold moves. But when it comes to running a business, hope simply isn't enough. Hope won't help you identify and reduce risks, foresee challenges, or make informed decisions based on data and analysis.

To avoid the risks of relying on hope, it's important to create clear processes for decision making. This includes defining decision-making roles and responsibilities, outlining criteria for weighing options, and ensuring that all relevant stakeholders are involved in the process. By doing so, you can create a structured approach to decision making that reduces the risk of costly mistakes and helps make sure that every decision is aligned with your long-term vision for your company.

Of course, creating processes isn't enough on its own. You also need to be sure that those processes are followed regularly and fully. This requires a culture of accountability and a commitment to transparency that starts at the top. When leaders model the behavior they expect from their teams, and hold themselves and others accountable for following established steps, it becomes much easier to confirm that every choice is made with a focus on the company's long-term success. Ultimately, the key to success as a business leader isn't just about being decisive. It's about creating a culture of decision making that combines the best of both worlds: the passion and vision of the founder, and the rigor and discipline of clear processes. By doing so, you can be sure that every choice you make is guided by a clear understanding of your goals, your risks, and your opportunities for growth.