• Leaders with good judgment tend to be good listeners and readers. They know what people mean and can recognise patterns that others do not.
• They have a breadth of experiences and relationships that enable them to recognize parallels or analogies th...

You can make all the right strategic choices but lose out if you don’t exercise judgment in how and by whom those choices will be executed. A leader with good judgment anticipates risks after a course has been determined and knows by whom those risks are best managed.

Leaders use their experience when making judgment calls. If they have previous experience, leaders can scope out areas to focus their energy and resources. However, if the experience is narrowly based, the familiarity can be dangerous. Leaders may fall into a rut, make judgments ...

In making a decision, a leader is often expected to choose between at least two options. Smart leaders look beyond only two options. Other options almost always exist, such as doing nothing, delaying a decision until more information is available, or conducting a time-limited trial.

Leaders often rush into bad judgments because they are not sufficiently critical of what they hear and read. They filter out what they don't expect or want to hear.

Leaders with good judgment:

• They give their undivided attention to everyone....

It's vital to understand and address your own biases. Research shows that leaders often make cognitive biases such as anchoring, confirmation, risk aversion or excessive risk appetite. People with good judgment ensure they have processes in place to keep them aware of biases.

To improve...