Making decisions can be difficult at times, agreed?
It could be because we do not know or have all the information needed to make a good decision. Perhaps it is a decision that will take you past the “no turning back point”. We think we will not be able to change our decision down the road, so we want to be sure to get it right the first time.
Many times, however, decisions are hard because we make them hard.
We do that because most people suffer from fear and doubt that causes us to second-guess the decisions we make. True especially when the decisions affect an entire group of teammates or the entire organization.
As a leader, that’s your job. It is plainly our job to make decisions that affect our organization and the lives of its participants.
In most cases, the good news is, the decisions you are making are not “no turning back” type decisions. That does not necessarily mean that you will not be faced with decisions like these, but most of the choices a leader makes are far lower risk.
These are the everyday decisions that leaders must make relatively quickly, or they start to pile up and slow down the team. Providentially, there are things you can do to make better decisions and make them more effectively. Consider a three-step process with questions that lead you to making a better decision.
A decision needs to be thought of in three easy steps so that you do not get lost in all the possible outcomes and variables that cause you to second-guess which one is the best for your current situation. Do not get bogged down with looking backward and forward and the details of doubt or fear if you make certain decisions.
Three simple steps, with questions for decision making:
- Will this decision line up with the values we support in the company?
- Will this decision help achieve the goals and objectives of the company?
- Will this decision clearly demonstrate the best interests of the participants?
When the answer to all three is “yes,” then move forward. If any of the answers are “no,” you have more work to get to the yes, but if you have reached a decision that you can answer yes to all three, it is time to act. You have too many things to do to spend more time second-guessing good decisions that support those three things.
No doubt as you look back, you may find that you could have done it better, maybe even cheaper, or faster, but you have done it and it was right at the moment.
No matter how much effort you put into making good decisions, if you use these steps, and they align with your company goals and objectives, you will be moving in the right direction. Just be habitual at using the process and you will be more effective in every decision you make, and it will become natural for you to begin thinking this way and it will get easier and easier the more you train yourself to think this way.
Enjoy your decision making and find a way to share this with others and learn from the experience.
Travis Jones
CEO
Travis has been an entrepreneur and business owner in Tulsa for over 30 years. He is a well-known community servant and is dedicated to providing world-class service for everyone we encounter at Career Development Partners.
Travis is a career transitions coach, certified Life Options Retirement Coach and is certified to facilitate and deliver the Manager As Coach Learning Series (MACLS) through CPI. He has served on the board of Career Partners International (CPI) and is an equity partner in CPI, offering a global reach with over 270 offices in 45 countries.
