Decision Making Defined
The process of making choices with the information available to us at any given time.
Making decisions is not an easy task by any means, especially if you are faced with major life changing decisions or under pressure where time constraints are limiting your abilities. The most successful individuals are those who have learned how to properly manage their decision making skills.
The actual process of making a decision is simple. Most individuals understand how to make a decision, but most do not understand the vital aspects involved in effective decision making.
In order to make an effective decision, one must first be able to answer these basic questions: How much information is needed? What sources will provide the necessary information? Then, one must be able to identify and understand the problem. Only when the problem is clearly identified can it be worked on in a productive fashion. Answering these questions requires one to think logically, systematically, and critically.
Decision Making Skill
The most common definition of decision making skills is that they are “the ability to make choices or decisions which are in the best interest of the decision maker or the group they represent.”
The process of making a decision involves understanding that choices have consequences. Failing to consider these consequences may lead to undesirable results. Decision making skills include predicting the possible outcomes, exploring options, and considering future consequences when deciding upon a course of action. A good decision is one that is well thought out and includes a consideration of the advantages and disadvantages of the various choices.
Decision Making Process 6 Steps:
1.) Define the Decision:
Come up with an idea of what you want to achieve and what direction you want to take.
2.) Gather Information:
Spend some time figuring out all of the information that is relevant to the decision at hand.
3.) Identify Options:
Think of multiple ways in which a particular situation can be approached and their possible outcomes.
4.) Consider Consequences:
Examine how each option might help or hurt your ability to achieve your overall goal as well as its potential impact on everyone involved.
5.) Make a Decision:
Choose one choice and go with it; if needed, return back and adjust according to new data that becomes available later on.
6.) Take Action:
Put your new plan into action as soon as possible while keeping an eye out for any feedback from those
Common Decision Making Errors:
1.) Omitting to gather all relevant information
2.) Seeking only information that supports your assumptions and ignoring other facts through selective perception, or “tunnel vision”
3.) Making decisions too quickly without exploring all alternatives and consequences of each option. This can lead to problems down the road or cause you to lose credibility.
4.) Not knowing your own personal biases. If they are too strong, admit them and use someone else’s judgment to make the decision instead.
5.) Failing to anticipate future consequences of decisions made.
6.) Making decisions based on what everyone else thinks instead of your own values and beliefs.
7.) Refusing to ask for help when you need it can be a big hindrance to effective decision making.
8.) Not reviewing your decisions and learning from them because problems or mistakes often lead to new insights or an improved way of doing things.
Decision Making Skills Exercises:
1.) When making a decision, try not to let your personal biases influence the outcome. Try to be as objective as possible and ask for advice from someone who may have more expertise or experience than you when you need it.
2.) Think about an aspect of your life in which you make decisions frequently. Is there a better way to go about it?
3.) Think of a decision you made recently and look back on it with the benefit of hindsight. What could you have done differently?
4.) Try taking a different perspective when making decisions; imagine that your role is one of an outside observer.
5.) Ask someone who will give you an unbiased opinion to review your decision making skills.
6.) Identify a time in which you were criticized for making bad decisions or not thinking things through. What could you have done differently?
7.) Try to make your decisions based on your own beliefs and values instead of what everyone around you thinks. What do you stand for?
8.) Explore the consequences of possible decisions and their resulting outcomes. What do you think would happen?
9.) Be mindful of your own decision making skills and work towards improving them while considering the process that others use to make decisions as well.
10.) Try predicting possible outcomes before you make a decision, this will help prevent problems down the road.
Decision Making Brain Part:
The amygdala is the part of the brain that processes emotional input, or stimuli. When making decisions, this region is used to assess risk and reward while considering other factors like social impact and financial worth. The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is involved in decision making processes by assessing what could happen if certain options are taken while deciding upon future consequences of a decision too.
Decision Making as Manager:
Being a manager is all about decision making. You must be able to assess and evaluate the quality and quantity of your team and determine how each individual works so everyone can do their most effective work. As a manager, it is important to give proper feedback for improvement accordingly when someone does something wrong or could have done better. You will need to make a number of decisions for your organization as well, including evaluating the future and growth potential of your company. While this can be a scary thought, having a clear vision is key when making long term decisions that will impact everyone working there.
Decision Making as a Leader:
As a leader, you will be expected to make tough decisions. The position of power you have may place greater pressure on your shoulders but there are ways to avoid it getting the best of you. Having communication with your followers and encouraging teamwork can help alleviate stress put onto one person alone. You must also keep in mind that everyone has a different approach when making decisions so try balancing between their ideas while keeping objective at heart too. Always make yourself available for questions and feedback from team members about company direction or other important matters as well.
Decision Making in Business:
In business, not all decisions can be made by one person alone. In fact, many companies today advise against using the “dec” model due to its potential drawbacks. The “dec” model is one in which a top executive makes all of the final decisions, then implements them without input from the rest of the team. When making business decisions, it will be important to keep things objective and unbiased as possible while taking multiple people’s opinions into consideration too.
Decision Making Skills Examples :
1.) Before making a decision, try taking a moment to stop and think about what you have been presented with.
2.) If you are having trouble choosing between multiple options, take the one that will make you feel most proud of yourself as well as the others involved.
3.) Make decisions based on your own beliefs and values; this is something everyone should consider before making choices in life too.
4.) Try anticipating possible outcomes before you make a decision; this will help prevent future problems from occurring down the road.
5.) Ask someone who will give an unbiased opinion to review your decision making skills and determine if there is room for improvement or not.
6.) Identify a time where you were criticized for bad decisions; this will help you to better understand how mistakes can be prevented in the future.
7.) When possible, always try making decisions based on past experiences too; this is another important lesson that everyone should remember while growing up.
8.) Notice if your emotions are clouding your judgement while trying to make a decision; ask yourself whether or not you’re feeling stressed out about it too.
9.) Ask yourself if there are any other ways to approach this particular situation before deciding upon which course of action to take next.
10.) Try predicting what might happen if certain decisions were made and see how they stack up against one another.
How Decision Making Relates to Problem Solving:
One of the most important reasons to make decisions is due to your ability to solve problems. Since there are many different types of problems that you may have to deal with in life, it is important that you know how each one can be approached. For example, when confronted by a leadership problem, it will be necessary for you to take command and control over the situation instead of leaving others guessing what might happen next.
Making Decisions in Teams:
When making decisions as part of a team, everyone should have an equal voice regardless if they are higher in rank or not. The power lies within the group itself so trying sharing responsibility accordingly when choosing which course to take next. If someone disagrees with you while working in teams, try weighing their opinion equally against your own and see which one ends up making the most sense after all.
Decision Making Based on Personality:
When making decisions based on your personality, you must consider whether or not the situation is something that you will be comfortable dealing with. For instance, some people tend to shy away from upsetting or aggravating others which can cause them to hesitate when it comes time for a decision to be made. This is important because how we make decisions in life depends upon our own personal views and beliefs; this way we can establish effective problem solving techniques while still ensuring everyone remains satisfied too.
Overcoming Challenges When Making Decisions:
Some of the biggest challenges associated with decision making include fear failure and fear of success. Fear can sometimes prevent us from making a choice that may end up being the right one after all. In order to overcome this fear, you must first believe in yourself and your choices before others can follow suit. For many people, fearing failure is a major concern which prevents them from taking action at all. On the other hand, if you do fail at something, make sure it doesn’t discourage you from trying again due to fear of success because chances are it won’t be as bad as you may think.
Making Important Decisions:
When faced with important decisions in life, try not to let emotions cloud your judgement too much because this will only confuse you even more than before. Try expressing your feelings rather than keeping them bottled up inside now matter how uncomfortable it makes you feel; this may help to alleviate the stress associated with making these types of decisions. Keep in mind that no matter how hard they are, there must always be a solution for everything even if you can’t see one right now.
Getting Closure When Making Decisions:
If you ever find yourself stuck upon which path to take after trying to make a decision, try speaking with someone who is familiar with your situation and ask them for their own point of view. If possible, try comparing different choices against each other by listing all the pros and cons beforehand so nothing gets overlooked or forgotten about afterward. You might also want to try inviting as many people as possible so everyone has an equal voice during this time as well.
Making Decisions When Facing Opposition:
When confronting an opposition during the decision making process, try to avoid getting into an argument if at all possible because this will only distract you from your task. You also want to make sure that the other person involved understands what’s on the line if they refuse so there are no misunderstandings later on either. Try using phrases like “I understand how you feel but I must act upon my responsibilities now” when attempting to break the ice with others instead of simply telling them what they need to do or not do next.
Keeping Organized When Making Decisions:
Whether you’re making decisions for work related reasons or merely trying to solve a problem in your personal life, it is important that everyone stays on the same page while you’re trying to sort everything out. Therefore, keeping organized when making decisions is crucial if everyone involved wants to reach a solution in time without any unnecessary delays or setbacks. For instance, enforcing a strict meeting schedule will help keep everyone accountable for their assigned tasks so nothing slips through the cracks later on down the line.
Making Decisions Based Upon Your Values:
When deciding upon which path to take based on your values, try thinking about whether or not there’s actually something at stake here too; this way you can see how far reaching the consequences of your choice truly are instead of just glossing over them because they didn’t suit your personal taste. For example, some people may be inclined to make certain “immoral” decisions in order to increase their chances of success at work while others may not even consider it an option.
Deciding When and What to Tell Others:
When faced with a major decision, try deciding beforehand when and what you want to tell other people because this could impact the choices they make as well. For example, if you tend to keep everything bottled up inside or only tell the “bigger picture” because you’re afraid of scaring people off, then you might just be making things harder for yourself in the long run instead of easier. This is why it’s always best to ensure that everyone involved knows where they stand before anything begins so there are no unnecessary surprises afterwards either.
When facing a problem, it helps to have some or all of these decision making skills at your disposal so you can make the best choice possible! Remember that mistakes are also an important part of learning and growing from experience.
Decision making is a very important skill to have and improve upon. It enables you to make better choices, interact with others more efficiently and effectively, adjust if needed to create better opportunities for yourself and help those around you too.
Go out there and try to “make good decisions”!