BASIC RULES FOR MAKING GOOD DECISIONS.
If senior managers do not clearly state the goal of an organisation, lower level managers will conclude that they don’t really mean what they are saying and will continue to make bad decisions. The same applies to an individual; without clear goals, you will cast yourself as an unserious person and will continue to make bad choices instead of Making Good Decisions.
A bad decision often arises from the thinking and considerations of the wrong people. They are wrong because of their lack of proficiency in the issue at hand or because of their inability to work together harmoniously and harness their diverse skills effectively for the sake of Making Good Decisions.
The process for Making Good Decisions embodies the following rules:
Once you have an idea of what your decision will be, look for disconfirming evidence or evidence that points to the defectiveness of your decision. Identifying the things that can go wrong reduces the incidence of bad choices and increases the chances of Making Good Decisions
The prospect of making Good Decisions increases by collecting and analysing the right data. Relying on the impressions and opinions of experts is not enough.
To step outside a problem and to view it from an unbiased perspective, even if you are the one that created the problem with your initial decision, is key to Making Good Decisions. To step out of your memories and to admit that you are wrong will not take anything away from you.
Taking some time to review your decisions to find out what worked and what did not can be a profitable exercise. This process of after-action reviews and noting the lessons learned should not be reserved for major projects or epic failures. The habit of stopping at the end of every week to ask yourself what you did right and wrong, and why is a very worthwhile one that boosts Good Decision Making.
You will never regret creating a strong group of thinking partners that will help you to think and provide alternative points of view before you make the final call. Good thinking partners grasp the problem quickly, listen, question and challenge different notions and points of view. A team with a broad, diverse range of experience can be effective in solving a difficult problem. An open communication climate and at least, a member well-versed in the given problem and confronted by the question on a daily basis, often create the right setting for Good Decision Making.
To know your limits, to be true to yourself and to own up when you do not have a firm grasp and understanding of a problem, supports Good Decision Making. Even if you are successful doing things a certain way, you should be appreciative of the current trends that may be putting your skills to irrelevance.
