The 6 Elements of Effective Decision Making

Most of us think we make smart decisions, but do we? Do we really see something for what it is rather than how we think it is? The impalpable truth is that we always want things to go in a certain way and in a particular direction. Our biases come in picture. Well, they shouldn’t, not if you’re planning to make effective decisions. Not when it comes to business especially, because in business, one wrong decision and it can all come tumbling down.

All the world class leaders and successful people across the globe understand the importance of making right decisions at the right time. It’s time you do something about it too. Here’s to making 2020 a year of better decisions–

1. Objectivity Over Subjectivity

Subjective decisions are seldom effective. You need to come from a place that evaluates the present situation for what it is. Now think of all the possible choices you have and then choose the one that works the best under the present circumstances. Having a vague view won’t give you the clearest choices. But an unambiguous vision will.

2. The Unbiased Way of Thinking

This is the most critical element for better decisions. It’s easy to let your past experiences, interests, likes and other biases drive your decisions. This is the precise reason why most people can’t think clearly. Their judgement is clouded with the perpetual thoughts of how things should pan out, how they would like this particular decision to turn out.

3. Get Aware of your Own Biases

The next step, of course, is to know your biases. The better you know yourself, the better is your cognizance of how your biases work and at what exact moment they are most likely to creep in. The ego wants to protect itself, the ego wants to know it is always right. But the reality is far from it, ego is just here to mislead you. Don’t let it play its wicked game, take control.

4. Honesty is Still the Best Policy

It’s much easy to make the right decision when you want to do the right thing. If you’re not going to be honest with others or even yourself, arriving to the right decision would be nothing less than a quagmire because in fact, there is no right decision. There’s no right decision that will subdue the wrong you intend to do.

5. Get rid of Bottlenecks

Too many cooks spoil the broth and so it should always be a few people making the major decisions. Right decisions at the right time, this is what it is all about. This is what really matters. So get rid of that corporate BS and eliminate the middlemen. You need to think fast and act fast. How fast? Too fast is rash and impulsive, too slow, well you’ve lost it already. It’s somewhere in the middle.

6. Diverse and Cross Functional

Having the right people at your side can help you make the right decisions. If you want to build a strong business, make it diverse and cross-functional. Different people from different backgrounds can make it beyond easy for you. Creative solutions are after all the ones that actually make a difference. After acquainting with versatile perspectives and ideas, you are most likely to make the right move.

Just having a hunch about it is not the way to go about it. Switching your decision because you fear what’s on the other side (something you don’t want) is definitely not the way to go about it. But with these 6 elements, you will eventually know the right way, to go about it.

“You can’t make decisions based on fear and the possibility of what might happen.”
― Michelle Obama

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