The Importance Of Decision Making

1396 Words6 Pages
"A leader is a person who decides; sometimes he decides right, but always he decides.” As this anonymous quote demonstrates, leadership and decision making are inextricably linked. Leaders are often called upon to make important decisions which will have far-reaching impacts on the lives of many people. Because of this, it is essential that those who wish to become great leaders work diligently to cultivate their decision-making skills. Aspiring leaders can learn to make positive decisions by studying the traits of the great decision makers of history, such as Rosa Parks, Cesar Chavez, Marie Curie, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Franklin Delano Roosevelt. When one looks at the similarities between these influential leaders, it becomes clear that effective decision makers consistently display the qualities of bravery, rationality, and selflessness. First, a good decision maker is brave. The story of civil rights leader Rosa Parks is a clear example of why bravery is needed to make sound decisions. On December 1, 1955, after enduring a lifetime of racial and sexual discrimination, Parks famously decided to refuse to give up her seat to a white man, breaking her city 's segregation laws. This decision sparked the exceptionally successful Montgomery Bus Boycott, a nonviolent protest of segregation laws. However, Parks had no reason to believe that her decision would be successful or even safe. According to TIME magazine, “Parks had already been kicked off the bus by the very same