“You are being presented with two choices: evolve or repeat”.-Unknown
Our lives are structured on the decisions we make. We have to make several of them every day; coffee or tea for breakfast and many more. Most of us put very little thought into these decisions, but they still get made. Mundane decisions are easy to make because they are without significant consequences. As the probability of a decision going wrong increases, the harder it is to make.
The ability to take considered decisions viz. decisiveness is what separates us apart, a leader from a follower. It’s natural to be wary of taking decisions that might have undesirable outcomes, but they are unavoidable and somebody has to take them. If you can do so willingly – and do it well – you’ll become a more proficient leader and a manager. The good news is, like any other skill; decision-making can be learned and developed.
Take Your Time
Decisions having large-scale ramifications are rarely made on the basis of a gut feeling. Such decisions need some gestation period to get mature. Thus, if possible, give it time by putting it off, maybe overnight. Big decisions deserve serious consideration and require a deliberation, which means taking time to reflect.
Most of that reflection can be done while you sleep by assigning the task to your subconscious. Once adequately rested, you’ll be able to make your choices afresh. There is scientific evidence to suggest that decisions that are taken after a rest or a sleep are better than decisions taken on the spur of the moment.
Discuss it out
Organize a brainstorming session. Discuss the pros and cons of the decision with someone you trust or your team. Once the arguments are over, you’ll immediately know which decision to make. Even if your arguments are good, your opponent might come up with concerns that you’d never have identified on your own. The fresh information thus obtained always helps to provide perspective to a decision.
Give Yourself More Options
Many decisions have more than two outcomes i.e. going beyond black or white, even if they don’t present themselves as so. There’s almost always another way, a shade of gray, and perhaps another and another. You don’t want too many options because that might lead to analysis paralysis, a state of further indecision. It’s important to avoid overthinking while considering more options. The nature of the problem/situation at hand is also likely to dictate the number of options needs to be considered.
Pros & Cons
Irrespective of the nature of the decision you’re facing, there are always pros and cons. There’s a positive outcome and an opposite one. What are the odds of each, and what do you risk by following that choice? Real-life decisions don`t include published odds like on-line lotteries tickets do, however there are nevertheless foreseeable consequences. Sometimes it’s not even a case of working out the best option available but about identifying the least bad.
Resort to Reverse Engineering
It helps at times to assume that you’ve already made a decision going by sheer gut feeling. Now assume that it was a bad decision, and the outcome was a failure. That’s your new starting point. Now analyze:
Why it failed to achieve the desired outcome?
What went wrong?
What are the consequences as a result of the decision?
More importantly, what could have been done to prevent it from going wrong?
If the failure is attributed to the decision itself, it was probably the wrong one. However, if the failure was due to the factors that came to light after the decision was taken, it might be possible to eradicate them before the choice is made. Eliminating elements of failure before committing to the decision provides you with a much greater chance of success.
Go With Your Inner Voice
You probably already know what you’re going to do. You’ve known this since the decision dilemma first presented itself. Now it’s a question of having faith in yourself. Don’t look for moral support as such delays will make you appear indecisive even though you have made up your mind right at the moment you are first faced with the choice.
The more you follow your gut and make successful instinctive decisions, a groove is cut in your subconscious. You are less likely to waver or delay such decisions in the future. The first few decisions are the hardest, but once you get used to it, it becomes second nature to you.
Take a Decision to Make One
When we make decisions, we tell the world we are alive. We all have in us what it takes to make decisions. Everyone has it in them to be a leader as and when a suitable situation presents itself. It all comes down to decisions. Make sure yours are the ones that help you prove your worth. Once a decision is taken, commit and follow through wholeheartedly.
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