Tips for Making Better Decisions

Many great leaders would prefer a project or report delivered only 80% complete a few hours early than 100% complete five minutes late. Moral of the story: Don’t wait for everything to be perfect. Instead of seeking the impossible, efficient decision-makers tend to leap without all the answers and trust that they’ll be able to build their wings on the way down.

Good decision-makers are “collaboratively independent.” They tend to surround themselves with the best and brightest and ask pointed questions. For instance, in discussions with subject-matter experts, they don’t ask: “What should I do?” Rather, their query is: “What’s your thinking on this?” Waiting for committees or an expansive chain of command to make decisions could take longer. Get your information from credible sources and then act swiftly.

Insight comes when you least expect it. Similar to suddenly remembering the name of an actor that you think you'd plumb forgotten. The same happens when you’re trying to make a decision. By simply turning your mind off for a while or even switching to a different dilemma, you’ll allow your brain to scan its data bank for information that is already stored and waiting to be retrieved.

A decision can solve a problem, but not every problem can be solved by making a decision. Instead, decision-making often relies more on intuition than analysis. Deciding between vendors, for instance, requires examining historical data, references, and prices. But the tipping point often rests with your gut. Which feels like the right choice?

If your feelings steered you wrong, correct the error and fess up. Even making the wrong decision will garner more respect and loyalty when you admit you’ve made a mistake and resolve it than if you are habitually indecisive.