One of the most revered men in military history (and history in general), Dwight D. Eisenhower was a mammoth of manliness, a titan of testosterone. The man was responsible for the largest amphibious wartime operation in the history of the world, after all.

Before he was the Leader of the Free World from 1953 to 1961, Eisenhower was the Supreme Commander of the Allied Forces during World War II. The man clearly knows a thing or two about executive decisions, and was responsible for an amount of information that was simply staggering, even by our insanely data-saturated modern standards. Biographer Stephen Ambrose described him as “the funnel through which everything passed.”

One of the more important moments of Eisenhower’s career was his making the decision as to the exact date and time at which the troops would land on the beaches at Normandy in June of 1944. The harrowing days leading up to the decision were a storm of shifting information, important variables, and crushing personal responsibility. There was also a literal storm happening at the time.

Eisenhower made one of the most important calls in the history of mankind, and certainly was aware that he was doing it. Looking at the man and his decision-making process can lend some useful insights into the making of a tough call.

Keep Yourself Centered

One doesn’t have to be making important executive decisions all the time to understand that a lot of information and/or responsibility can easily become overwhelming. Figuring out how to hack your system into dealing with massive influxes of information on a regular basis is obviously one of the secrets to success that must be internalized earliest, but keeping this in practice can become difficult.

Small, quantitative exercises like making a list of your worries and responsibilities will help you interact with the items requiring your attention in an easily digestible way, and will help things to seem a little less amorphous and overwhelming. Eisenhower reportedly did this often in his notebooks during his preparation for Operation Overlord. Knowing the specifics of his responsibilities helped him understand and accomplish them.

Be a Sponge

As the importance of your decision increases, so does the value of information concerning it. Learn everything you possibly can about the conditions surrounding your decision. Absorb as much as you are able to, so that your decision is well-informed.

As he prepared for the commencement of the Normandy invasion, Eisenhower steeped himself in twice-daily briefings, weather reports — any and all information he could gather to inform his decision.

Keep in mind — the implications of Operation Overlord’s start date were massive. Not only would there be a tremendous loss of Allied lives should the operation fail, but the sweeping aftereffects would have been felt far and wide. Issues like lowered morale and potentially leaked information would have only been the beginning of the consequences for choosing the wrong start date.

As such, Eisenhower made sure that he had every single detail of information that was available to him. He considered every possible angle and absorbed every single tidbit he could. As such, he ensured that his decision was made with full consideration of every pertinent detail.

Ask Around

Part of this information-gathering process involved soliciting the opinion of just about everybody to whom Eisenhower had access. If you’re in an important position, chances are you’ve surrounded yourself with people that you trust, and whose opinion you respect. This is certainly the case for a figure as important as a national leader, and Eisenhower relentlessly sought the opinion of his advisors and colleagues.

Important decisions are often important because their implications involve factors larger than the person making them. Eisenhower’s call wouldn’t have just affected Eisenhower — it would have affected entire nations, and world history. It’s important not to let pride stand in the way of considering the perspective of others.

Be Rock Solid

No matter what, it’s important to maintain your visible control over the situation. A big part of leadership decisions involve ensuring that followers agree with it and understand that it is in their best interest. Sometimes rallying confidence around your own decision is what it takes to shore up not only your own confidence, but that of those around you, as well. As Eisenhower himself put it, “I had to make them believe that everything was going to work.”

Of course, not everybody has to make decisions involving entire nations, global economies, and massive quantities of human life…but many find themselves faced with important and tough decisions every day. There are a great many resources to help with a variety of important decisions, and it never hurts to take a look at one of the most influential figures of American military history for a few points of advice.

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Leadership Lessons from Dwight D. Eisenhower | The Art of Manliness