Decision Making

Leadership necessitates that decisions be made, and how a leader goes about that is a reflection of his/her leadership style. Dictatorial leaders tend to reserve decisions for themselves, viewing themselves as having a market on wisdom & truth. They show limited confidence in others to make decisions, and as a result the growth of others is limited. Servant leaders, on the other hand, while recognizing that certain decisions can only be made by them, involve others in key decisions as much as possible. Viewing themselves as developers of people, they provide people with both the opportunities and the space to make appropriate decisions. At the same time, they are willing to make the tough calls rather than pushing them off on others or avoiding them in the hopes that the need will go away. It seems to me that the factors that play into entrusting others with the authority for this responsibility are trust and proven capability with smaller responsibilities. How have you addressed the challenges associated with decision making in your arena? How do you determine which decisions should be made only by you without the input of those whom you lead?