Decision-making is a crucial skill in any workplace, as it can help you achieve your personal and professional goals. However, decision-making can also be challenging and stressful, especially in uncertain or complex situations. How can you boost your decision-making skills and make better choices for yourself and your organization?
In this article, I will share some techniques and tips that can help you enhance your decision-making skills and achieve your goals.
What is decision-making?
Decision-making is the process of choosing among different options based on the assessment of information and preferences. Decision-making involves two main components: prediction and judgment.
Prediction is the ability to estimate how different choices will affect the likelihood of different outcomes. For example, if you are deciding whether to invest in a new project, you need to predict how profitable it will be, how risky it will be, and how it will impact your other goals.
Judgment is the ability to evaluate how desirable each outcome is based on your values, goals, and emotions. For example, if you are deciding whether to accept a job offer, you need to judge how much you value the salary, the benefits, the work environment, and the career opportunities.
To make a good decision, you need to have a good balance of prediction and judgment. You need to gather relevant information, analyze it logically, and weigh the pros and cons of each option. You also need to consider your intuition, emotions, and values, and align your decision with your long-term vision.
How to boost your decision-making skills
There are many factors that can influence your decision-making process, such as cognitive biases, emotions, stress, time pressure, social influence, and information overload. To overcome these challenges and boost your decision-making skills, here are some techniques that you can apply:
1. Be less certain
One of the most common cognitive biases that affect decision-making is overconfidence. Overconfidence is the tendency to be more confident about your predictions and judgments than you should be based on the evidence. Overconfidence can lead you to ignore important information, underestimate risks, or overlook alternatives.
To avoid overconfidence, you need to be less certain about everything. You need to acknowledge that you may not have all the information or knowledge that you need to make a good decision. You need to question your assumptions and beliefs and seek feedback from others. You need to revise your estimates and expectations based on new evidence or perspectives.
By being less certain, you can become more open-minded, curious, and flexible. You can also reduce the chances of making costly mistakes or missing out on valuable opportunities.
2. Ask “How often does that typically happen?”
Another cognitive bias that can affect decision-making is the availability heuristic. Availability heuristic is the tendency to judge the likelihood of an event based on how easily you can recall examples of it. For example, if you have recently heard about a plane crash, you may overestimate the probability of dying in a plane crash.
To avoid the availability heuristic, you need to ask “How often does that typically happen?” You need to base your predictions on statistics and facts rather than anecdotes and impressions. You need to look for reliable sources of information and data that can help you estimate the frequency or probability of an event.
By asking “How often does that typically happen?”, you can become more realistic, rational, and objective. You can also avoid being influenced by sensationalized media or personal experiences.
3. Make a plan
One of the best ways to boost your decision-making skills is to make a plan. Making a plan can help you clarify your goals, identify your options, evaluate their consequences, and choose the best course of action.
To make a plan,
you can follow these steps:
- Define your goal:
What are you trying to achieve?
Why is it important?
How will you measure success? - Generate options:
What are the possible ways to achieve your goal?
What are their advantages and disadvantages?
How feasible are they? - Compare options:
How do each option compare in terms of costs,
benefits, risks, and opportunities?
Which option aligns best with your values and preferences? - Choose an option:
Based on your analysis, which option do you think will lead to the best outcome?
How confident are you about your choice? - Implement your choice:
How will you execute your chosen option?
What resources and actions do you need?
What obstacles or challenges do you anticipate? - Monitor and evaluate:
How will you track your progress and results?
How will you know if you are on track or off track?
How will you adjust or improve your plan if needed?
By making a plan, you can become more organized, focused, and proactive. You can also increase your motivation and commitment to your decision.
4. Be assertive
One of the ways to boost your decision-making skills is to be assertive. Being assertive means expressing your opinions, needs, and preferences in a clear, confident, and respectful way.Being assertive can help you take charge of the decision-making process,
influence others, and resolve conflicts.
To be assertive,
you can follow these tips:
- Use “I” statements: Instead of blaming or accusing others,
use “I” statements to express your feelings,
thoughts,
or wishes.
For example,
instead of saying “You always interrupt me”,
say “I feel frustrated when I’m interrupted”. - Be specific: Instead of being vague or ambiguous,
be specific about what you want or expect from others.
For example,
instead of saying “Can we talk later?”,
say “Can we talk at 3 pm today?”. - Be positive: Instead of focusing on the negative aspects of a situation,
be positive about what you can do or achieve.
For example,
instead of saying “This project is impossible”,
say “This project is challenging but we can do it”. - Be respectful: Instead of being rude or aggressive,
be respectful of others’ opinions, feelings, and rights.
For example,
instead of saying “That’s a stupid idea”,
say “I disagree with that idea”. - Be firm: Instead of being passive or submissive,
be firm about your boundaries and limits.
For example,
instead of saying “Maybe I can do that”,
say “No, I can’t do that”.
By being assertive, you can become more confident, independent, and decisive.
You can also improve your communication skills and build trust with others.
5. Keep it in perspective
One of the ways to boost your decision-making skills is to keep it in perspective. Keeping it in perspective means judging the value and importance of each decision relative to other decisions and goals.
Keeping it in perspective can help you prioritize your decisions,
avoid overthinking or procrastinating, and cope with stress.
To keep it in perspective,
you can follow these steps:
- Identify the impact: How much will this decision affect your life or work?
Is it a major or minor decision?
Will it have long-term or short-term consequences?
Will it affect other people or goals? - Identify the alternatives: What are the other options or choices that you have?
Are they better or worse than the current one?
Can you change or reverse your decision later if needed? - Identify the worst-case scenario: What is the worst thing that could happen if you make a wrong decision?
How likely is it to happen?
How bad would it be?
How would you deal with it? - Identify the best-case scenario: What is the best thing that could happen if you make the right decision?
How likely is it to happen?
How good would it be?
How would you celebrate it?
By keeping it in perspective, you can become more realistic, balanced, and optimistic. You can also reduce your anxiety and regret.
Conclusion
Decision-making is a crucial skill that can help you achieve your personal and professional goals.
However,
decision-making can also be challenging and stressful, especially in uncertain or complex situations. To boost your decision-making skills, you need to be less certain, ask “How often does that typically happen?”, make a plan, be assertive, and keep it in perspective. These techniques can help you improve your prediction and judgment abilities, and make better choices for yourself and your organization.
