Decisions. Decisions. Decisions. We are faced with hundreds of decisions to make every day, some more difficult than others. In the world of business, rapid decision-making is a necessary skill that can influence the success of your career over time. If you struggle with making decisions, here are five tips to help eliminate wavering and reduce response time:
1. Eliminate “Right” from Your Vocabulary
As you look to make a decision for the sake of your business or team, it’s essential to eliminate “right” from your mind. In the end, there may not be a “right” or “correct” choice. The best decision you can make is based on the data and information you have available to you at the time, according to Forbes magazine.
2. Back Away From Your Emotions
When it comes down to the wire, you should do your best to remove any emotions from the matter. You want your mind to be a logical state that does not allow sadness, uncertainty or any other emotions to take control.
3. Talk It Out Beforehand
Jennifer Dulski, president and COO of Change.org, believes that one of the best things you can do before making a decision is talking it out. In a piece written for LinkedIn, Dulski states that talking through your options with a trusted person in your life will give you clarity into your gut feelings. “Talk with people you trust, and you’ll know what your heart is telling you by listening to whether you’re agreeing with those people or are trying to shift their opinions,” said Dulski.
4. Acknowledge Your Biases
In some instances, you may have your own biases while making a decision based on past experiences. For instance, you might be thinking about your four years as an investor for a different company when you’re asked to join a new board of directors. You could be pondering the flaws of your last technical assistant as you interview new candidates. Acknowledging these biases beforehand can help you ensure they don’t leak into your ongoing decision making process, according to Inc magazine.
5. Maintain Confidence
It’s critical to understand that regardless of the choice you make, the decision is 100 percent your own at the end of the day. Be confident in your choice, gauging all of the options and circumstances beforehand. Additionally, acknowledge your commitment to your final decision. Before making a choice, you may want to lay out a plan for how you will handle its impact in the coming days (months, or years, depending on the decision).
Whether your choice pertains to employment, hiring or your own position at a company, these tips can help you with the decision-making process. Using all of the data available to you, eliminating biases and thinking logically are critical to the process as a whole. Please contact us to day with any questions you may have about this process.