We make thousands of decisions every day. Just think about how many food-related decisions you make each day, from what to eat to how to get it and “do you want to add guac?” No wonder figuring out what’s for dinner is one of the most exhausting parts of adult life.
At work, the stakes can be much higher than Thai or Italian. In fact, we repeatedly hear from hiring managers how important strong decision-making skills are when evaluating talent, from job candidates to promotion potential.
Maybe you’re already great at making decisions. Maybe you have some room to grow. So how do you get better at decision-making? By making bad ones and dealing with the consequences. Seriously. The best thing that ever happened to me as a new manager was working in an office without a supervisor on site. There was no one above me to witness my mistakes and no one to protect me from the outcomes. I had to deal with them, and I got to learn from them.
I realize my “trial and error” learning experience is an increasingly rare and unrealistic scenario, so here are some specific approaches you can take to improve your decision-making:
- Drop the “or.” I promise there are more than two options for any given situation. We get trapped into “this or that” thinking because it’s simple. Before you narrow down your decision to the two obvious options in front of you, ask yourself if those are actually the only options. If not, it’s a chance to get creative. You might end up finding the “and” instead.
- Categorize the decision. Think about it like this: is the decision a hat, a haircut, or a tattoo? You pick the wrong hat for an outfit? That’s an easy swap. You get a bad haircut? Not the end of the world, but you might have to live with it a little while it grows out. You get a tattoo? Well, that has staying power. If you’re uncertain what category a decision falls into, the best question to ask is “can this decision be reversed?” If the answer is no, invest the extra time and energy to understand the implications and make the best possible call.
- And what if you get it wrong? What’s the downside? How likely is it? And what’s the risk of doing nothing at all? The answers help you weigh the risk relative to the potential benefits.
- Know what kind of decision maker you are. If you are a “trust your gut” kind of person, seek out data to see if it supports or conflicts with what your gut says. If you’re a “trust the data’ kind of person, seek out additional context to see if it supports or conflicts with your data.
- Some decisions (usually the tattoos) require buy-in from at least one stakeholder. To build an effective case, include both the data and the narrative. This approach allows you to present a complete picture and meet the needs of objective and subjective decision-makers. One of the best campaign pitches I’ve ever done was in partnership with a data analyst. He presented the data and projections; I provided the context, or narrative, that brought the data to life with real examples. Our stakeholders left satisfied that they received a rigorous analysis while also understanding the nuances of how our strategy could play out in different markets.
- Realize when you’re entering analysis paralysis. If you’re not naturally decisive or uncomfortable making a decision with imperfect data or in an ambiguous situation, don’t let yourself get stuck. A perfect option doesn’t exist, so stop chasing it. Instead, lay out multiple scenarios (see the first bullet!) and get some early feedback so you can keep moving forward.
Finally, remember that inaction is also a decision. And if doing something is better than doing nothing, then make the decision. Own it and own the outcome. Be honest with yourself, and learn from it. Besides, mistakes aren’t the problem. We all make them. Not learning from them is.
Download our Decision Making Worksheet to find out how much energy this decision deserves, identify your options, and calculate the risk.
