NCC Blog
How to Make Good Decisions Quickly
I have a friend who is a smart, savvy businesswoman. She runs a successful business, is raising two teenagers as a single parent, and has overcome her share of life’s challenges along the way.
She’s a take-charge kind of gal. I’ve seen her in action; she’s pretty unstoppable.
Except when it comes to making “less-than-life-altering” decisions.
On stuff like politics, major life illnesses and tough-love parenting of teenagers, she’s the Queen of Quick and Decisive Decision-making. But pick a paint color? Choose a movie? Decide between Tex-Mex or Thai for lunch? Its painful to watch.
I can relate, although I’m sure I linger as much over the big stuff as I do over the small stuff. (I’m a Libra; I tend to hang out in the “trying it on for size” phase a bit longer than most.)
This got me thinking about how often we coaches are called upon by clients to help them make a decision. “Facilitates good decisions quickly” should be at the top of our job description. But what does it take to make good decisions quickly? And why is it sometimes so dang hard to DECIDE?
Before exploring all that, I have just a few words about the flip side of making good decisions:
The Easy Way Out: NOT Deciding
Sometimes when making a decision is difficult, you just don’t. You turn away from it and try not to think about it. Or maybe you adopt an “everything happens in it’s own time” approach. Or you try to get someone else to make the decision for you.
Of course, not making a decision IS, in it’s own way, a decision. And every decision has its risks — even the decision not to decide.
The problem with deciding not to decide is that it’s more stressful than it looks. There’s a part of you that can hear the clock ticking, and every ticktock feels like an opportunity missed. It takes a certain amount of mental and emotional tension to maintain a state of indecision, and it wears you down.
7 Decision-making Pitfalls
So why is it so hard to make a decision? I think decision-making is like a muscle; it grows stronger with practice. And when you don’t exercise, well, things tend to get kind of flabby.
Here are some traps to avoid when you’re exercising your decision-making muscles:
- Analysis paralysis – over-complicating what might otherwise be a simple process
- Overwhelm – failing to organize and prioritize your options
- Fear of change – sabotaging yourself for the sake of short-term comfort
- Fear of commitment – resisting taking responsibility for the outcome
- Fear of regret – anticipating that your decisions will naturally be wrong
- Decision-making fatigue – not taking time between decisions to get your bearings
- Procrastination – giving yourself the illusion of control by needlessly deferring action
3 Decision-making Models
Avoiding the pitfalls is a good start, but it’s not enough. To make good decisions quickly you need to use the right method. There are far more decision-making models than I have space for in this blog post, but here are three to get you started:
1) Pros and Cons – this is the simplest of methods, and is helpful when you need to make a “yes” or “no” decision. Draw a large “T” on a sheet of paper; label one column “Pros” and the other one “Cons”. Then list all the pros and cons you can think of. You should be able to see your choice pretty quickly.
2) Decision Matrix - this is a good approach when you have several alternatives to decide between and a variety of factors to weigh. Create a table with the alternatives listed in the far left column and the factors across the top row. Rate each alternative numerically for each factor and tally up the total to determine the best choice. Click here to see an example.
3) 6 Thinking Hats – although often used with teams, this approach can be easily adapted for an individual such as a solo business owner. It’s a good approach to use when you need to consider a complex decision from all different angles. (For more info about this approach, see Six Thinking Hats, by Edward De Bono)
- Blue Hat: The Big Picture
Wear this hat to establish the overall goals and objectives of the decision, and to guide the decision-making process strategically. Ask “Is this on track?” - White Hat: Facts & Information
White Hat thinking helps you build a factual framework for the decision. Look at the information that you already have about the decision, as well as gaps in your knowledge. Ask “What do I know/what do I need to find out?” - Red Hat: Feeling
This perspective helps you look at the decision using intuition and emotion. Ask “How does this decision feel?” - Black Hat: Critical Judgment
Black Hat thinking will help you spot the risks and potential pitfalls of a decision so that you can eliminate them, alter your approach, or be prepared with a contingency plan. Ask “What’s the worst that could happen?” - Yellow Hat: Positive Judgment
Adopt an optimistic viewpoint to find the opportunities and benefits of the decision. Ask, “What’s the best that could happen?” - Green Hat: Creative Thinking
The Green Hat is for brainstorming and thinking outside the box. Ask “What if?”
7 Decision-making Tips
And while we’re at it, here are some tips to help you make better decisions more quickly:
- Trust your decisions — not just the good ones, but the bad ones, too. Sometimes those are the richest.
- Don’t make a decision any more complicated than it needs to be.
- Use the right decision-making process.
- Use your coach!
- Set a time limit for making up your mind.
- Give yourself permission to change your mind as often as you like during the decision making process.
- Once you’ve made the decision, commit to it 110%. Don’t torture yourself with doubt.
One Last Thought
“Truly successful decision making relies on a balance between deliberate and instinctive thinking.”
- Malcolm Gladwell, Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking
More Resources
Basic Guidelines to Problem Solving and Decision Making
Cooperative Decision-making
Decision-making Styles and Examples
Free online tool for making decisions
Kathy Mallary, the Signature System Coach(tm), works with professional/business coaches who want to learn how to make, monetize and market their own signature coaching system. Get free signature system marketing tips and resources at www.spiritspring.com