Have you ever had a boss that changed their mind so much it left you confused? Or has your boss sat so long on making a choice that it negatively impacted your work? Do you think you could do better? Then you will need strong decision making skills!
An effective leader must understand the process and responsibilities of making a decision and how it can affect other people.
A leader’s choices affect stakeholders, employees and the workplace morale, which is why it is crucial to consider the myriad of aspects to a decision and its consequence.
When you act without thinking, make choices in a hurry, or let yourself be led by emotions, you risk not achieving your goals.
We understand that being put in a position where you have to make a decision can be very stressful.
But it is important to know how to deal with it and not allow the pressure or the stress dictate your actions. We can’t runway from making choices, neither in work nor in our personal lives.
That’s why developing decision making skills is so important to your success in and out of the workplace.
These abilities will help you tackle life’s multitude of challenges. Ready to dive in? Keep reading and see if you have the skills it takes to be a top decision maker:
1. Strategic view
In order to ensure you are making the right decision, it is important to analyze the whole situation, considering all the advantages and the disadvantages involved.
Ask yourself what effects your decision is going to cause in the short and long-term.
Study the situation, think of different solutions and imagine the possible results that could come from each one of them. T
hinking strategically means planning carefully and considering not just how you will fare in the result, but how the restul will affect your company, employees and stakeholders.
2. Data analysis
If you have to make an important decision, don’t base it only on what you believe is best. Before taking action, gather all the data you can to make an informed choice.
- What does the data say about the situation you are dealing with?
- Is there a previous history of the situation or employee involved?
- How were similar situations dealt with in the past?
- What were the results?
These are few questions to help you gather that information and data to help you analyze your best course of action.After you have gathered all the information you need, seeing the possible solutions will be easier, and so will defining which one is best.
Predicting possible outcomes will help in making the best choice for your company. Information gathering and data analysis can make your predictions more accurate and decreases the chances of unexpected scenarios.
Ask yourself the probabilities of something happen. If it is a business decision, study the market and the percentages of success in companies who faced the same challenge.
How many have succeeded by implementing what you are thinking of? Analyzing that will help you to have an outside view of the situation.
3. Emotional intelligence
Emotional intelligence is indispensable to be able to make assertive decisions and to be a great leader.
It means not allowing emotion to take control of your actions, stopping you from acting irrationally, or making precipitated choices.
As we have mentioned, decision making can be very stressful, but you can’t let the surrounding pressure influence your thinking process.
It is necessary to learn how to deal with your emotions, so you can develop effective strategies based on data analysis.
However, keep in mind that having control of your emotions doesn’t mean not showing them. It means using them in a productive way and learning how to express your feelings can help you in many areas of work and life.
4. Stay humble
According to the Nobel prize-winning psychologist Daniel Kahneman, overconfidence can be a problem in the decision making process. While confidence is crucial, its excess can cloud your view, preventing you from actually seeing the best solution.
After you have decided what to do, review the outcomes. Think about the logic that led you to define the most appropriate action.
Question your decision making process in order to see if you let your judgment be led by overconfidence.
What about you and your decision making skills? Do you want to evaluate and improve it? Are you ready to understand what you are doing right and which are the skills you need to improve?
We can help you with that! Just schedule a 30-minute free session with us and start your path to becoming a great leader.