There are thousands of books, media articles and websites that explore what it takes to be a good leader. Most focus on traits such as communication skills, time management, synthesizing information from a variety of sources and setting an example for others to follow.
That’s all important. But it might not be the most important.
That honor, according to a new study out of Switzerland, goes instead to a willingness to take on the responsibility of decision-making. That involves an ability to make the same kind of decisions for a group as you do your yourself. Having a track record of successful decision-making and confidence in your abilities might be the most important leadership skill of all.
Who Wants to Lead?
Deciding to pursue a leadership position is often what comes first for people. Then, they begin to accrue the skills they will need to become even more successful at leadership. However, the willingness to lead is something that is often just there with people, or it isn’t.
Micah Edelson, one of the new study’s leaders and a neuroscientist at the University of Zurich, told NPR that the new research wanted to focus on the issue of why some people are willing to lead and make decisions for other people, and some are not.
One issue they looked at with test subjects was responsibility aversion – that is, an individual’s aversion to making a difficult choice for themselves or a group. Participants in the study played games in which they were given the choice between risky alternatives with high rewards and safe choices.
Overall, the study found those who felt averse to making decisions for a group were not necessarily unwilling to do so. Instead, such aversion is driven by a “second-order cognitive process reflecting an increase in the demand for certainty about what constitutes the best choice when others’ welfare is affected.”
In other words, while some naturally trend toward making decisions for a group, many want more information before being willing to make a decision that affects other people, sometimes to the point where they make no choice at all or go with the safest option.
Six Sigma methodologies can help solve that issue for many people.
How Six Sigma Helps Make Leaders
With its focus on making any type of operation more efficient and effective, learning Lean, Six Sigma and Lean Six Sigma tools and techniques can provide those who aspire to leadership a method for making better decisions.
Responsibility is the price of leadership, the study found. That’s why so many organizations increasingly want those who have studied methodologies such as Six Sigma in team-leading, decision-making positions.
Both accountability and analytical problem-solving skills are among the top traits for leaders in Six Sigma. Given the results of the Switzerland study, decision-making skills might rank among the most important of all.
Making Leadership Decisions With Six Sigma
One of the main attractions of the various Six Sigma methodologies is that they provide a proven, successful path for making decisions. With dozens of tools and techniques designed for a multitude of situations, Six Sigma leaders are more prepared than most to assume the responsibility of leadership.
One of the key areas Six Sigma enhances this is improving how you approach a decision. The first three steps in two of the main Six Sigma methods – DMAIC and DMADV – are define, measure and analyze.
Learning how to apply this can only improve leadership decision-making. The ability to define a problem and then consider various methods for solving the problem before making a choice is fundamental to leadership. But without a set process to follow, many get lost in the weeds just considering the options.
Lean, Six Sigma and Lean Six Sigma offers ways to solve that issue. It can even help with developing better so-called “soft skills” that leaders also need to be their most effective.
Leadership and Six Sigma are two concepts that are closely tied together. For those wishing to succeed as a decision-maker, certification in Six Sigma can provide a very big step in the right direction.
