The Art of Decision-Making in Leadership- in conversation with Jason Harvey
Many professionals’ legacies rest on the decisions they’ve made throughout their careers. The higher one climbs in an organization, the steeper the consequences of choices are. This is why the power to confidently and intuitively make decisions is crucial in executing successful growth.
A growth innovator with an eye for identifying and creating value, Jason Harvey has years of experience optimizing business expansions and implementing successful go-to-market strategies. Jason leads with trust, collaboration, and inclusion, building cross-functional relationships that empower teams.
How has your decision-making process enabled you to achieve significant milestones in your career? How do you mentor and inspire others to develop these decision-making skills to bring them along on the journey? Can you walk us through the process of a critical decision you made in your career?
“As a father of four, I encourage my children to think through and make decisions on their own, from deciding on weekend plans to choosing their next-semester courses. Like them, I believe it’s crucial for leaders to actively cultivate their decision-making abilities and become confident in making difficult decisions that drive the business. Like any skill, the act of repeatedly making decisions — whether big or small — hones a person’s effectiveness at making decisions in the future.
“It can seem trivial, but even small, day-to-day decisions improve an individual’s pattern-recognition and critical thinking abilities. As leaders make more decisions and analyze their outcomes, they become better and more confident at identifying potential challenges or opportunities, helping them develop sharp decision-making insights to identify the better choice. The feedback loop of reflecting on decisions and improving future ones compounds, so you’re more effective with every choice you make.
“Every person makes bad decisions — failure is an inherent part of life. In fact, the most significant aspect of practicing decision-making is failure. Learning from your mistakes and adapting so you recognize similar situations in the future will help you make better decisions next time. The key is to spend time reflecting on the outcomes of your choices, both positive and negative. Remember the steps you took when you made a correct decision, and develop strategies to mitigate the risks that led to a failure.
“When I first joined BET to start BET+, I was faced with a choice in developing its data infrastructure. We could either (A) use an existing tech stack from a different organization within the company, or (B) build a new data infrastructure.
“Of course, I analyzed the pros and cons: while developing BET+ on the existing tech platform would be quicker, easier, and less expensive, there was less flexibility when it came to what the platform could do. A new, innovative platform built by the team would take more time and resources to develop, but it could be created to achieve our specific objectives.
“In the end, I chose to create a brand new technology stack for flexibility, and future growth, and to ensure we could take full advantage of our first-party data. Though the up-front cost was higher, I knew it would be more reliable for the future — since we developed our own robust infrastructure, it’s adaptable to our present and future needs, saving us resources down the line. It was my first major decision at a huge pivot point for BET, but I was able to confidently make the correct decision thanks to years of experience making smaller choices.”
Thanks for sharing, Jason.
Connect with Jason on LinkedIn.
