LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

1. IDENTIFY relevant skills and capacities that good decision-makers possess.

2. EXPLAIN why decision-making is an important skill.
3. ANALYZE situations to test your decision-making skills.

1. What decisions have you made in your life which made you feel
proud of yourself?
2. Do you think it is important to consult other people with regards to
the decisions you make?
3. Have you let others influence you in making the right decisions I
your life? Explain.
4. Have you made any decisions which, on the other hand, gave you a
feeling of disappointment?
5. What, in your opinion, could have made your decision a better one?

Do you remember what you wanted to grow up to be when you were five or
six? You might have decided you would be a doctor or a lawyer, or a pilot, an
astronaut, or a nurse. Depending on how much you internalized it, THAT AMBITION
OR DREAM MIGHT ALREADY HAVE BEEN INFLUENCING YOUR OTHER
DECISIONS AT EVERY STAGE OF OUR LIVES.

Decision-making in the context of leadership goes beyond making every day,

personal choices. THE RISKS ARE HIGHER BUT SO ARE STAKES THAT COULD
BE GAINED OR WON. Generally, the decisions leaders have to make entail problem
solving which requires more careful planning, special skills and much creativity

Since life is a series of choices and each choice inevitably influences

subsequent ones, we have to see the big picture. We have to know what we and
our family value the most and what our most important pursuits in our life are.
Having known these, we will unclutter our mind and simplify our decision-making. It just
comes down to the question of whether or not our decisions conflict with these values.
These may be very well be the greater part of our decision making.
The rest of the process involves learning special strategies and techniques for more
systematic and effective decision-making.

Let us look at one of the leaders in the Bible who was SINGLE-MINDED about
his pursuit such THAT ALL HIS DECISIONS WERE IN LINE WITH THAT GOAL. He is
Caleb, a VALIANT SOLDIER who was one of the only two Israelites WHO
COMPLETED THE JOURNEY FROM EGYPT TO CANAAN. In the book of Joshua
14:7-12, Caleb showed that no obstacle is so great that it should keep one from fulfilling
God’s plan. (Read) Joshua 14:7-12

7. Forty years old [was] I when Moses the servant of the LORD sent me from
Kadeshbarnea to espy out the land; and I brought him word again as [it was] in
mine heart.
8. Nevertheless my brethren that went up with me made the heart of the people
melt: but I wholly followed the LORD my God.
9. And Moses sware on that day, saying, Surely the land whereon thy feet have
trodden shall be thine inheritance, and thy children's for ever, because thou hast
wholly followed the LORD my God.
10. And now, behold, the LORD hath kept me alive, as he said, these forty and five
years, even since the LORD spake this word unto Moses, while [the children of]
Israel wandered in the wilderness: and now, lo, I [am] this day fourscore and five
years old.
11. As yet I [am as] strong this day as [I was] in the day that Moses sent me: as
my strength [was] then, even so [is] my strength now, for war, both to go out, and
to come in.
12. Now therefore give me this mountain, whereof the LORD spake in that day; for
thou heardest in that day how the Anakims [were] there, and [that] the cities
[were] great [and] fenced: if so be the LORD [will be] with me, then I shall be able
to drive them out, as the LORD said.(KJV)

Think and Talk

Ponder the following questions:
1. What was the secret of Caleb’s success and extraordinary staying power?
ANSWER: It is his Devotion to God and His Resiliency to fulfill his Goal no matter what.
2. What made him decisive and passionate all the way?
Answer: Because he knows that it is God’s plan for Him.
3. What reward did he receive for his resoluteness and faithfulness?
Answer: The Achievement of his Heart’s Desire.
4. What decision-making principles can we draw from the life of Caleb?
The Leaders Attitude in Decision-Making

1. RECOGNIZING THE LORD’S PLAN AND PURPOSE

The first step in decision-making is recognizing the PLAN & PURPOSE of the Lord.
It means BELIEVING and RECOGNIZING who the Lord is in a person’s life.
A man may have big plans for his life but if he does not acknowledge GOD AS A
SOVEREIGN POWER BEHIND ALL HIS PLANS, HE SETS HIMSELF UP FOR
FAILURE IF NOT CATASTROPE.
Caleb RECOGNIZED the Lord’s purpose and guidance all throughout his life and was
fully rewarded for HIS HUMILITY and OBEDIENCE. Nothing seems to bless a family or
a nation more than their WHEN THEIR LEADER SUBMITS TO DIVINE AUTHORITY.
As future leaders, you will do your subordinates or constituents a great favor if you
would seek God’s guidance in your decision-making and if your ultimate goal, like
Caleb’s is to GLORIFY God. As the Book of Proverbs (16:9) says,

2. A SPIRIT OF DETERMNATION

A leader has to be determined in pursuing his goals. Somebody said that “A WINNER
NEVER QUITS AND A QUITTER NEVER WINS”. Caleb never considered his age a
hindrance to achieving his goal. He could have chosen to rest upon entering Canaan
but was determined to move on, drawing strength from the Lord. No wonder his
strength never diminished. At eighty-five, he was as string as he is when he was forty
years old.

Two other men famous for their unflinching or undaunted determination are Abraham
Lincoln, America’s most beloved President, and Thomas Edison, the inventor of the
Light Bulb and many other gadgets. It is almost unbelievable how many failures and
defeats Lincoln endured before he became president. Likewise Thomas Edison did not
lose heart despite countless failed experiments.

Determination pays. As a contemporary scholar and teacher Elmer Towns put it “SOME
PEOPLE SUCCEED BECAUSE THEY ARE DESTINED TO, BUT MOST PEOPLE
SUCCEED BECAUSE THEY ARE DETERMINED”.

LEARN THE VALUE

Look back to the past year or two and recall a major decision you made which turned
out to be unwise or ill-advised.
Describe the circumstances.

Analyze why it was not a good decision.

How would you go about making a decision on the same matter at this point?