Beat decision fatigue at work

It’s been widely reported that the average person makes 35,000 conscious decisions every day. If employees defer some decisions to you, you are likely experiencing serious decision fatigue. Follow these tips to improve your situation:

Delegate some decisions. Let employees know what decisions you expect them to make. When you delegate decisions, you ease some of your own decision fatigue, but you also empower employees. It’s a win-win.

Prepare employees to take control. Before you start delegating, you need to ensure that people have access to the right information at the right time so that they can make informed decisions. They should also have access to the right people, including teammates, co-workers in other departments, customers and upper management. Work to break down silos and communication hierarchies so that employees feel enabled to collaborate with anyone who can help them make the best decision.

Encourage decision making. Some employees may try to delegate decisions back to you. Don’t let it happen. Instead, say “I trust and want you to make the final call on that.”