It is clear from my experience working with SME businesses in the UK, that Brexit conjecture and delays are having a negative affect on the growth, plans and strategy of businesses.

The sentiment I’m hearing is:

• When are the Government going the make a decision?
• I don’t know whether to commence our expansion plans now or wait?
• Should we increase staff numbers or wait?
• Should we spend money on training our staff when we don’t know our future?
• Should we roll-out our new product now when we don't know the future?

As leaders, it is our state of indecision, not the government, that will create issues within our business. Remember when we approached the year 2000 ‘Y2K Bug’, or the 2008/9 post-GFC banking environment? Not knowing the effect of the pending market or global change, we held back and shifted our focus onto those events and potential doom. But in both those examples we see post-event that we anticipated an effect far worse than it actually was. Today there are countless examples where large multi-national corporations have stalled, faltered and waited too long on opportunities, only to miss out.

I am not suggesting business leaders should rush into making decisions without consideration of the effect Brexit’s future policies may have. But don’t be a business leader that uses Brexit as a reason for one’s own indecision and lack of forward movement.

Small businesses are suffering and not knowing how to grow. UK businesses have witnessed a 34% reduction in sales over the previous 12 months. Indecision, in a lot of cases, is based in fear of the unknown. Fear of the unknown is something that military aircrew try to mitigate and eliminate prior to entering into battle.

5 ways to improve leadership decisiveness, based on military ‘battle-tested’ principles.

1. Play The Long Game - Occasions like Y2K almost seem laughable years after they pass. As a community, and with the assistance of fear-mongering media, we are sucked into short-term thinking about these issues. After the issue has passed, we often wonder why we spent all that time, energy and money on something that had been built up.

On a wartime mission, we believe that our mission, on that day, is only a small ‘battle’ in the larger ‘war’. So with your business decisions, take a long term view of your planning and take the leap forward and ‘push through, despite the gunfire’, followed by step 2…

2. ’Desk Fly’ The Mission - Prior to every flight, the crew would lock themselves in a room and talk through every phase of flight from the end of the mission, backwards, all the way to the start, take-off. Reverse planning, stopping at each of the main juncture points to ask the question “What if…”

What if we get shot at just before weapon release?

What if we miss our timing on weapon release?

What if we come across poor weather in the drop zone?

What if?

What if?

What if? ….Until we have 99.9% of the problems covered. Take this approach in your business planning post-Brexit and garner as much wisdom and support from those around you. You should have all the possibilities outlined and understood, providing leaders with peace of mind prior to taking the first step.

3. Simulate - Once the ‘what-if’s’ have been documented, we then enter the simulator to run through as many scenarios as possible. I’ve spoken often of the strength of simulation in previous articles, (see article here http://www.danielcooney.co.uk/blog/is-it-a-bird-is-it-a-plane-no-it-s-a-business-in-flames) so simulation of your long-term strategy, refining the ‘what if’s’ should be undertaken. Set up case study scenarios in a ‘story-book’ style, and simulate each path to it’s natural conclusion. You will be surprised by some of the outcomes.

4. Immediate Action Drills - These are developed prior, during and post simulation. These are immediate actions that your business must carry out when and where they see any issue arise. (see article here http://www.danielcooney.co.uk/blog/turning-your-sales-staff-into-high-performance-sales-assassins). We use these in the aircraft to respond to high-stress situations such as engine failure or engine fire. In business, you should know when things are not happening the way they should, and have a pre-planned immediate action plan to respond.

5. Build Trust - It’s a scientific fact that your team would prefer you, as their leader, to make a decision and be wrong (learn), than make no decision at all. The best leaders in history have not always been right, but have been decisive, backing themselves, and adapting along the way. This solicits trust from the people (e.g Churchill during WW2), and the momentum of trust and support helped win the war. This principle is no different for you in your business.

Beat business indecision and overcome ‘Brexit-itis’ by playing the long game > desk fly your strategy to discover and analyse all the what-if’s > put the plan under stress by simulating possible outcomes > set up immediate action plans for when/if things go wrong > and build trust by making a decision.

Remember, not making a decision is actually a decision in itself, but it doesn't garner any support from your team. Be bold. Be courageous. In the post-Brexit time ahead you will look back and be glad you moved forward.

If you would like to learn more about leadership, decision-making and high performance teams, then check out our workshops and consulting services.