You make decisions all day long. You have to decide what to wear, eat and even say in a conversation. But how often do you need to make significant decisions, especially those that impact others? If you lead people at work these decisions have repercussions on those in your sphere of influence. This carries over at home as well since how and what you choose impacts your family and friends.
As a foundation, understand yourself well enough to know your bent and triggers. Some make quick decisions just to get it over…the “ready, fire, aim” people. Others ponder and ruminate over the dilemma endlessly…the “ready, aim, aim, aim” people. Knowing your tendencies helps you manage yourself to make sure you are not getting in your own way. I talk about this in a previous blog post entitled “How I Navigate Confusing Times.” Click here to read it.
Here is my process to make confident significant decisions:
Deadline
Determine an appropriate length of time to decide. An accountability partner could be very helpful here to check in along the way to keep you moving forward.
Gather
Gather as much information as you can in the first half of your decision window. This is the research phase where you read as much as you can find. Don’t get stuck here trying to find out 100% of the information needed. Good leaders can make a sound decision with only 75% of the information.
Seek
Seek advice and input from those who know you and who you respect. Talk through the importance of this decision and what is at stake. Discuss the ramifications of each choice and some of the possible unintended consequences. Try to understand what could happen if you delay or don’t make a decision. Making a list of pros and cons can help visually as well.
Unbiased
Get as neutral as possible so you eliminate any bias you have towards a particular direction. This can be a challenge especially if this decision takes you out of your comfort zone. I encourage clients to get comfortable being uncomfortable as they grow. This keeps you sharp and helps you avoid settling for good enough instead of exceptional.
Outline
Outline all of your research and the advice received. If you are a person of faith this would be a good time to pray for guidance. Is there an obvious choice? What does your gut tell you? By the way, make sure you are not making your final decision when you are hungry, angry, lonely, tired or sick. These conditions are not helpful towards good decision making.
Decide
Make the decision. If you have the time, afterwards sleep on it and see if still makes sense to you the next day. Look for confirmation along the way to grow your confidence. Make contingency plans in case the future changes your outlook. This is not second-guessing yourself…just being prepared for the unexpected. Adjustments are easier when sooner than later and if they were planned.
Prepare
Prepare yourself and your team for the impact of the decision. Many people do not realize the importance of getting buy-in. Once all understand what is going on and have a chance to voice concerns, you can still get commitment even if they disagree. Just make sure everyone is fully resourced for success before you launch.
Review
Set a review date in the future to reflect on how it is going and make any needed tweaks. Debriefing the decision making process during a team offsite can help refine it for the next significant decision.
Good decisions grow your confidence and your team’s confidence in you as the results speak for themselves.
What significant decision do you need to take through this process?
