“You can assess the quality of your decision by
the quality of life resulting from the decision”
(Anon)
No one makes the right decision every time, but by developing
your decision-making skills, you can increase your success
rate. We use our decision-making skills to solve problems
by selecting one course of action from several possible
alternatives. Decision-making is a key component of time
management skills.
Almost any decision involves some conflicts or dissatisfaction.
The difficult part is to pick a solution that will ensure
a positive outcome. Avoiding decisions often seems easier.
Yet, making your own decisions and accepting the consequences
is the only way to stay in control of your time, your
success, and your life.
A significant part of decision-making skills is in knowing
and practicing good decision-making techniques. Follow
these 9 simple decision-making steps:
| 1. |
Identify
the purpose of your decision. What
exactly is the problem to be solved? Why should
it be solved? |
| 2. |
Gather
information. What are the facts? |
| 3. |
Identify
the standards and criteria that
the solution should meet. |
| 4. |
Brainstorm
and list different possible choices.
Generate ideas for possible solutions. |
| 5. |
Evaluate
each choice in terms of its consequences.
Use your standards and criteria to determine the
pros and cons of each alternative. |
| 6. |
Determine
the best alternative. This is much
easier after you have gone through the above preparation
steps. |
| 7. |
Put
the decision into action. Transform
your decision into specific plan-of-action steps. |
| 8. |
Execute
your plan. |
| 9. |
Evaluate
the outcome of your decision and action taken.
What lessons can be learnt? This is an important
step for further development of your decision-making
skills. |
We often have to make decisions fast, without enough
time to systematically go through the above steps. In
such situations the most effective decision-making strategy
is to keep an eye on your goals and objectives and then
let your intuition suggest the right choice.
Some Decision-Making
Dos and Don'ts
Do:
 |
Be
honest in identifying the problems,
setting goals and priorities, evaluating information,
etc. |
|
Accept
the responsibility for making decisions,
in your life and at work. |
|
Use
time wisely when you make decisions.
Take as much time as possible without procrastinating
or creating more problems. |
|
Have
confidence in your ability to make
good decisions - and to learn from mistakes. |
Don’t:
|
Have
unrealistic expectations for yourself
- you're bound to make the wrong decision sooner
or later. |
|
Make
“snap’ decisions unless
absolutely necessary. |
|
Take
unnecessary action when the best
course of action is to do nothing. |
|
Fool
yourself by choosing solutions that
are easy and safe - but fail to address the problem. |
Making a decision is easy - but making the right
one requires skill and knowledge.
What if…?
What if I make a wrong
decision?
Mistakes can be the best teachers - use them to your
advantage. Find out what went wrong, and put this information
to work in your future decisions.
What if I must make a snap
decision?
By using the above 9-step method when you have enough
time, you'll build the "feel" for decision-making
that will help you make better snap decisions, too.
Why take the risk of making
a tough decision?
Avoiding decisions may seem easier at times, but making
your own decisions is the only way to take charge of your
life - and your success.
By Elsabé Manning
