Making a decision – is it really difficult?
Whom should I marry? Where should I invest my money? What will I have for breakfast? What should I wear today?
It happens often that people find making decisions as something difficult and unpleasant. But the facts are, that every day we are forced to make decisions that are more or less important.
The process of making difficult and important decisions is quite complex. And although sometimes it is tempting to rely on blind fate – tossing a coin and removing the responsibility from us for possible failures, but it is worth to approach the matter fully consciously.
It is worth remembering that deciding is really a technical skill and you can – fortunately, learn it. There is specialized training, for example for managers or teams. Let’s reach for the simplest and proven decision-making scheme. Of course, it concerns primarily complex and multidimensional situations – it would be troublesome to use it in the morning choice of socks color. So how do you make decisions?
5 steps to make a decision:
Step One: Defining the situation
“I don’t have a job” or maybe: “I don’t like it when others tease me because I don’t have a job. That’s why I need to find a job.” These two definitions are about two completely different situations requiring an absolutely different approach. Take your time and define carefully your situation.
Step Two: What do I want to achieve?
Take a moment and think about what exactly you want to be the final effect of your decision? It is also good and economically to divide one big, ultimate goal into sub-goals that are easier to achieve. Don’t be closed to alternative possibilities.
Step three: Diagnosing the situation
Try to find the sources of previous failures and assess if and how we can prevent them now.
Step four: Searching for alternative ways of solutions
Write down all, even the craziest ideas, solutions to the problem. Being aware that there are several options for getting out of the situation will make us feel more confident and safer.
Step five: Making a decision
Calculate possible losses and profits. Think about your resources and costs.
Make a decision.
Good luck!
To find more information about making decisions and to learn about what Can Prevent Effective Decision-Making check THIS article.
