Decision Fatigue
Obama, Suits and Being Distracted by Trivia
“You’ll see I wear only gray or blue suits,” Barack Obama told Vanity Fair in 2012. “I’m trying to pare down decisions. I don’t want to make decisions about what I’m eating or wearing. Because I have too many other decisions to make.”
When I see great headteachers, this resonates with me.
Headteachers are decision engines. They process thousands of queries, large and small, before lunchtime. Some of these are very minor (Is it wet play? Can I take Elsie on short holiday? When were the assessment dates this term?) and some are vital. It is not all about the weight of the decision, it is simply the quantity. I consider this when I look at small schools with tiny leadership teams. Their decisions are even more plentiful because delegation is not an option.
‘Decision Fatigue’ has been a known problem for a long time, not simply in education. A poor decision made by a headteacher might make life very hard for the community, a poor decision by a doctor may be terminal.
There have been many studies, some referenced below, about this issue. Although the language and definitions make clarity difficult (see my previous blogs) there is agreement that “we each have a finite amount of mental energy that we can expend on decision making before our brain starts to look for a shortcut. It explains why weekend shoppers impulse buy and elite athletes make unaccountable decisions at the end of a game. Decision fatigue is also a well-recognised…precursor to burnout.”[1]
This does not just affect leaders, it impacts the whole team and the community around them. It leads to conservative/passive action (avoiding decisions) or inappropriate decisions, choosing ‘easy and simple’ rather than addressing the difficult reality. Fatigued leaders take the path of least resistance. It is rare that this is the right path.
Being a new headteacher means this is particularly profound. Many deputies are amazing at managing the jobs they are given. Taking the heads chair means taking the compass. All decision making is here. Decision fatigue is a very real thing, and when heads feel exhausted it can be hard for those not in the role to understand. It is a common claim that adults make about 35,000 decisions a day. There is no clear research for this, however I will state with confidence that headteachers make a huge amount more.
Back to Barack Obama. He does not have to choose his suits, nor does he choose what to eat. It is routine. If it can be made into a routine, it is. “You need to focus your decision-making energy. You need to routinize yourself. You can’t be going through the day distracted by trivia.”
It is worth leaders reflecting about how many of the decisions they make throughout the day are trivia. I include here some of the day-to-day nonsense that heads face. The greatest schools I have seen have managed to overcome this (Is it wet play? Decision has already been made by the caretaker. Can I take Elsie on short holiday? The office have already replied. When were the assessment dates this term? The school calendar has all this on it already). Great schools, regardless of size systemise decision making. Leaders don’t just exist behind a desk, they are created by the headteacher, nurtured and trusted in roles across the school.
In the smallest schools, it is the system and process that provides answers, and these systems are repeatedly communicated with stakeholders. Headteachers must be trivia proof. It is very difficult to do this, but the absolute best schools manage it. They have a laser-like focus on the most important aspects of school. Culture, teaching, children.
Of course, no school, however well-run, can remove all the load. This is where MATs can either relieve or intensify decision fatigue.
I have been lucky enough to work in both MATs and local authority schools. In regard to decision making, great MATs have a significant impact on the decision-making of heads.
The best MATs will ensure that headteachers do not have to make decisions in areas in which they are not expert. Almost all heads got the job because of their work leading people and leading education. Yet as a head they may also have to know finance, estates, HR and legal processes. They might have to be a website expert and social media manager. They might have to procure deals and arrange operational logistics. They must manage marketing and arrange all the school events. They are not experts, so all of this takes longer that it should. Considering this, how much time have they got for the kids?
MATs should take this work away. These decisions are not trivial, they are essential. And they are rarely in the skillset of headteachers. Strong multi-academy trusts deliberately redirect heads to their core work. Let MAT experts take the load.
This is of course not without risk – a poor MAT will add to workload or be inconsistent leaving heads to think ‘I can do this better.’ Some MATs can make demands of headteachers, and have shifting priorities. If everything is a priority, then nothing really is. This action can be destructive in a large organisation. I hope this does not happen much. MATs must be disciplined to ensure that they control communications with heads to ensure leader’s focus is where it makes the biggest difference.
The best heads know what they are good at. They lead staff to align to their vision for exceptional learning and a joyous culture in their school and leave other items to the MAT. Their schools run on routine, on elevated expectations and with a driven focus on the children and families they serve. They can achieve remarkable things because they are not trying to manage trivia.
Perhaps I won’t go as far as wearing the same suit every day, but the principle is the same. Leaders must guard their decision-making energy for what matters most: children, culture, and learning
Links:
[1] Moorhouse A. Decision fatigue: less is more when making choices with patients. Br J Gen Pract. 2020 Jul 30;70(697):399. doi: 10.3399/bjgp20X711989. PMID: 32732206; PMCID: PMC7384807.
Pignatiello GA, Martin RJ, Hickman RL Jr. Decision fatigue: A conceptual analysis. J Health Psychol. 2020 Jan;25(1):123-135. doi: 10.1177/1359105318763510. Epub 2018 Mar 23. PMID: 29569950; PMCID: PMC6119549.
Sollisch J. The cure for decision fatigue. Wall Street Journal 2016
Vanity Fair Article – Michael Lewis - https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2012/10/michael-lewis-profile-barack-obama?srsltid=AfmBOorEsK7R7_et8mMDF3AHM2g5o5qFM7xJFGs_pPUn-WxxaMGaHVKe