The greatest barrier to tough decision-making is a lack of deep thinking.
In today's email/text message/cell phone/BlackBerry world, we're all so busy that we have no time or energy to think deeply about our real challenges. To compensate, we often consciously or subconsciously avoid making clear decisions, hoping to think more deeply about them later.
As a result, development efforts are scattershot. Energy is wasted. Effectiveness is diminished. Combine these factors, and you are left with stunningly poor execution. Most failures that are blamed on poor execution are, in truth, the result of poor leadership early in the process.
A lack of leadership creates a chain reaction of problems:
Product lines are broad but not deep in quality, advertising is unfocused and unconvincing, sales teams are unhappy and unproductive. When Domino's Pizza founder Tom Monaghan simplified his company's menu, he found his stores could offer consistent 30-minute deliveries--a persuasive selling point.
When focus is sharp at the top, great results follow.
Source: Doug Hall, author of the Jump Start Your Business Brain book series in BusinessWeek SmallBiz, Winter 2006