Knowing what you want to achieve, communicating it succinctly and telling people unambiguously what they need to do to help – those are the hallmarks of a great leader. They have the vision to see the path ahead, the belief in their path and the courage to tie their colours to the mast and say “follow me”.

Whether they are successful or otherwise, such people will attract devoted followers like a magnet. People will be prepared to win and lose by their side – in my opinion for one simple reason:

The task ahead is not shrouded in shades of grey.

If there is one thing that makes us that little bit more stressed in our already hectic lives, it is ambiguity. If you think that your boss might change their mind at any given moment, you will almost certainly hold back from giving your all. If your boss sits on the fence in an argument, it takes a decisive employee to put their flag firmly in the ground. If inactivity and hesitation reign from above, it is impossible to build any significant momentum from below. If a boss is selfish and keeps their options open until the “right” path has become clear, the growth and development of their employees will be stifled, and the missed opportunities will be seized upon by a more pro-active competitor.

Being a decisive leader means choosing not to hide behind those shades of grey.

I am not suggesting that every morning should start with a battle cry and a different daily target. Not every decision needs to be made at 9am in the morning. But, when the time for a decision has come (we all know when that is), the leader needs to step up to the plate, take the temperature of their team and suggest a way forward. How many meetings have adjourned with a “well, we don’t have enough information to decide just yet” or a “let’s leave it until next quarter”. You often do have enough information, and there will always be something else next quarter. Take the bull by the horns and make every decision that is sensible to make.

For me, momentum is the essence of motivation, and momentum only comes when you have a decisive direction for your efforts. A team that is performing above and beyond is rarely doing this standing still.

Stepping out from the shades of grey is a vulnerable place for any leader. They need to be supported by a team who don’t expect every decision to be perfect and who are happy to pursue a few blind avenues. If they feel insecure in their role, this is a difficult task, but the alternative is far worse. The leader who tries nothing new is a leader who is ripe for replacement. I know that I would rather be vulnerable and fail every now and again – we only live once, after all. The path to true success will always incorporate obstacles on the way including the odd failure here and there.

If you are a leader, ask yourself these questions: Does your team have a purpose in all that they do? Do you treat both failure and success as a learning experience? Do you welcome questions from your people? Are you happy making decisions without understanding the whole picture? Do you have the courage to lead when uncertainty plagues your mind?

If you can answer “yes” to these questions, it is likely that you are leading with a lantern rather than getting lost in the many shades of grey.

Don’t be a bad leader. Bad leaders hide behind shades of grey.