Do you feel you are skilled at decision making? If yes, you probably:
- Make decisions based on analysis, knowledge, and experience
- Avoid letting emotions impact the decision
- Take into account deadlines, obtain as many details as possible, and are not afraid to make a decision based on what you know
- Get solicited by others for advice and ideas for making sound decisions
Decision making is a skill, and does not come easy to everyone.
You’ll never have all the information you need to make a decision. If you did, it would be a foregone conclusion, not a decision.
– David Mahoney, Jr., American Corporate Executive
Tips for successful and timely decision making include:
- Avoid perfectionism.
- Everyone wants to make fault free decisions; this could result in choices never being made. Trust your intuition and strive for a reasonable balance between thinking it through and taking action.
- Be disciplined and organized.
- This is easy for some and very difficult for others. Keep a log, set priorities, and track your checkpoints. Don’t allow other issues or tasks to divert your focus. If this is a big issue for you, buy books on managing time and setting priorities, work with a coach, or attend a workshop that can provide you with more concrete solutions that address your needs.
- Learn from your mistakes.
- Don’t fall into the “analysis/paralysis” rut because of having made a mistake. We all make mistakes. Review and log what you could have done differently and who the key players were for making the best decisions.
- Be prepared to defend your decision.
- Expect resistance and opposing views. As long as you have done your research and can support why you made the verdict you did, don’t back down unless new data or information is provided to you.
- Does it feel right?
- If your “gut” is telling you something just does not feel right with your decision, take a few hours or even a day or two to re-think it. Rarely does a decision need to be made NOW. If it does, then re-assess what’s known (facts, impacts, historicals), and trust yourself to make the best decision you can. Don’t be afraid to ask others for their input!
We’re not likely to always make the perfect decision as we all make mistakes, and additional information may come to light, but we can commit to conducting due diligence so we can make the best decision at that time.
Good judgment comes from experience. And where does experience come from? Experience comes from bad judgment.
–Mark Twain
QwikTip and QwikCoach
PeopleTek’s Strategic partner, E-Coach, specializes in online coaching tools.
QwikTip for Improving Your Problem Solving Capabilities
And for those with a QwikCoach license, refresh your existing skills and acquire new skills by visiting the QwikTips library for leadership ideas and techniques.
If you don’t have QwikCoach, it’s an excellent resource for growing your leadership skills remotely that you should consider.
Help turn your leadership knowledge into leadership action!
Did You Know?
Graduates of PeopleTek’s Leadership Journey Earn:
- IT Professionals: 19 priSM CPD credits
- Human Resource SPHR/PHR/GPHR: 19 HR (General) credit hours
- Project Managers: PMI – up to 37 hours / 3 PSM level points
- Executive Coaches: 18 ICF CCE’s (Core Competencies) & 5 ICF CCE’s (Resource Development)