Which decisions cause anxiety? Think about what decisions in your business make you feel most hesitant. Consider areas where the stakes are high, or where decisions must sometimes be made quickly. What decisions have the biggest impact on your business? How do you typically go about making them? Is it by yourself, or with a team of other leaders or advisors? What information do you seek? What support do you have as you make the decisions? When you notice that you’ve become anxious about a particular decision, what do you do?

What’s driving the anxiety? The particular factors driving anxiety behind any given decision on the farm are going to be different and unique to each farm leader. Knowing your own tendencies and being able to prepare for when anxiety may pop up is key to managing well when you must make decisions. You can ask yourself questions like: What it is about this type of decision that makes me feel anxious? Is it related to the speed at which the decision must be made? Does it have to do with the size of the decision, or the impact it will have on my operation?

What can be changed about the process? The process used to make leadership decisions can make a big difference in how much anxiety we feel around decision-making. Once you know the specific types of decisions and circumstances that bring about anxious feelings, you can change the decision-making process in ways to help eliminate or reduce anxiety. For example, maybe you find that being the only one responsible for making a decision brings you more anxiety. Then, you could take steps to bring a team around you – whether that involves others on your farm, members of a peer group, or trusted advisors.