When it comes to decision-making how decisive are you?When it comes to decision-making how decisive are you?
We have to make decisions every day of our lives and sometimes it can be quite challenging Some decisions are relatively straightforward and others are definitely more difficult. Simple decisions usually need a simple decision-making process. Difficult decisions, however, typically involve a whole host of complex issues.
Very often there is uncertainty where many facts may not be known and you may have to consider many interrelated factors. There are decisions, too, that have high-risk consequences, and the impact of the decision might have a high implication for you or for others.
Every given situation has its own set of uncertainties and consequences, and anything that involves interpersonal issues can often be challenging as it difficult to predict how other people could respond.
All in all decision making can be quite a stressful process!
The best way to make a complex decision is to use an effective process. A systematic approach will also lead you to consistent, high-quality results, and can improve the quality of almost everything we do. A logical and systematic decision-making process will help you to address the critical elements that result in a good decision. By taking an organised approach, you’re less likely to miss important facts and you can build on the approach to make your decisions better in the future too.
Making Decisions
Here is a critical path that you can take when assessing each situation when you need to make a decision about something:
If you have to involve other people it is so important to involve the right people and allow other opinions to be heard. It is also important when you make any decision to also be aware of the implication that it will have on others .Whilst you may be prepared to take a gamble, if you are putting others in a difficult position it is important to take that into consideration and act with integrity. Make sure, that you are asking the right questions and challenge yourself.
Being creative will help you too, as the basis of creativity is all about thinking about things from a different perspective. So it is a great way to beginning the exploration process of what options you have available to you.
The more options you consider, the more comprehensive your final decision will be.
When you generate alternatives, you force yourself to dig deeper, and look at the problem from different angles. If you use the mindset of “there must be other solutions out there”, you are much more likely to make the best decision possible and not miss anything.
When you’re satisfied that you have a good selection of realistic alternatives, then you’ll need to evaluate the feasibility, risks and implications of each choice.
In decision making, there’s usually some degree of uncertainty, which inevitably leads to risk. By evaluating the risk involved with various options, you can determine whether the risk is manageable.
Risk analysis helps you look at risks objectively. It uses a structured approach for assessing threats, and for evaluating the probability of events occurring.
There will always be some element of risk attached to everything we do as we cannot predict the outcome. Sometimes we will make decisions that we may well look back on and feel that perhaps another approach may have been better. That is life! We cannot expect to get it right all the time. Also if we did, how would we learn? If we get caught in a paralysing loop of fear because we don’t want to make a mistake or take a risk the chances are we would never get anywhere. Sometimes you just need to take a leap of faith.
So once you have evaluated the alternatives, the next step is to choose between them. With all of the effort and hard work that goes into evaluating alternatives and deciding the best way forward, it’s easy to forget to “sense check” your decisions. This is where you look at the decision you’re about to make dispassionately, to make sure that your process has been thorough, and to ensure that common errors haven’t crept into the decision-making process.
Once you’ve made your decision, it’s important to explain it to those who may be affected by it, and involved in implementing it. The more information you can give to people about why you made a certain decision, the better. One of the key benefits of taking the systematic approach to decision making is that you will be able to analyse and evaluate your decision making process which will, in turn, make it easier to communicate. If you need support of others they will also feel more reassured that you have given consideration to your actions. This will be so helpful to you and to those around you and very much appreciated. As with any change, the more information you provide the better.
This will also give you personal reassurance that you have thought something through without making a knee-jerk decision.
One you have made your decision, stick with it, accept that you have made the best decision based on all the information that you had at the time. Deliberation or indecision will hamper your progress, so go for it and trust in a positive outcome.
Yes of course there may well be occasions where you have to accept that you could have done it differently or even better. Give yourself the best possible chance with the best possible information and at least you will know that you did something with your best possible intention and effort!
In any moment of decision, the best thing you can do is the right thing, the next best thing is the wrong thing, and the worst thing you can do is nothing
Theodore Roosevelt