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Be a Better Decision Maker
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Being a good decision maker can help you in business and life. It’s been said that highly confident people make decisions clearly and stick to them rather than changing their minds or being indecisive.
And even if decision making doesn’t come naturally to you, it is a skill which can be built on. Here are a few tips to help you:
Start Small
Even making small everyday decisions will help you accomplish the bigger goal. Small decisions such as what food to eat at a restaurant are not to be underestimated. A good way to start is the next time you’re eating out, look at the menu and decide what you’d like to eat. Then put the menu down and don’t change your mind. Don’t ask your companions what they’re having and base your decision on that – make the decision on your own and then stick to it.
Small steps like this can be empowering and help you to tackle the bigger decisions to come in the future.
Approach Decisions Logically
Many of us tend to make emotion-based decisions rather than logical ones. In business this can spell disaster. A good way to help you approach decisions in a logical manner may be to write down a list of pros and cons.
Simply grab a sheet of paper and label one side pros and one side cons. Then list all the good and bad points of your choice. Logically think through your comments and then make your decision. This way you can leave emotions out of the equation and concentrate purely on the facts.
Cut Yourself Some Slack
Making decisions is a skill which can be learned but even pros don’t always make the right choices. Realize that making decisions effectively takes confidence and is a great first step, but your decisions may not always be the right decisions. If you happen to make the wrong decision, give yourself a break and take comfort in the fact that you thought out your decision clearly and logically and made the best choice possible at the time.
Being a good decision maker takes time and practice. However, it’s a worthwhile skill to develop. Making decisions regularly may help build your confidence level and also help people know where they stand with you – two great entrepreneurial qualities.
2 Comments
December 3rd, 2009 at 8:02 am
It’s been my experience that most people are afraid to make decisions, even little ones. Especially when they work for someone. A lot of decisions are common sense things. As an employer, I appreciate it when my management staff can make good decisions without having to ask questions for every little thing. I understand that for big decisions some information may be needed, but I tend to get bogged down with simple, common sense questions. No, you won’t always make the right decision, but in those instances you learn and the next time you’ll make a better, more informed decision.
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February 11th, 2010 at 4:01 pm
I was just reading yesterday that we know intuitively the proper direction to take, and that all of our decisions over time end up leading us to where we need to be. I’m not sure how much I agree with that, but hey, it’s a great thought!
Your recommendations are great. Another option is to use the process of elimination. Start by listing all the options you can think of, then tick off all of the ones that are not useful, appropriate, achievable, etc. You’re left with a good set of quality options from which to make a decision, and you you’re not likely to go wrong.
Great post!
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