The inevitables of decision making. (and how to avoid some bad ones)

18 inevitable things that will happen before, during and after the decision making process.

  1. There are always unexpected outcomes.
  2. Luck always plays a role, the question is how frequently it will. Fortune (also bad luck), by nature, occurs only very few times. So it can be blamed a few times, not more than that.
  3. There’s no best solution for every problem. Sometimes you have to choose the least bad option when only the worst choices are left to determine.
  4. Decisions seem to be right or wrong at different times. So, Make a decision as early as possible and use the decision-making process to iterate and improve on that decision.
  5. Decision Making is not a one-time process. A single good big decision may never compensate for multiple small and correct choices. The best decision-making system supports a series of decision-making that vary from small to big.
  6. Accept that you could have made wrong decisions. Continuously review your assumptions and find your blind spots. Rapid learning and course correction is key to an agile decision-making process.
  7. Good execution may make a wrong decision look like a good one. There are too many factors that could influence the outcome. So, Learn to analyze your decisions without connecting them to the outcome, especially if the outcome is as expected.
  8. Make your team feel they contributed to the decision-making process (by every individual). This helps you to get total commitment from your team. Even if the decision is obvious, have some process in that everyone has their say.
  9. Your mood definitely affects the decision you make. Make sure the decision is purely based on intellect, not on an emotional basis.
  10. You can’t make a 100% perfect decision. You can’t satisfy all. You can’t address all the issues. So try to perfect the most, not all.
  11. If you don’t feel stupid about your decade-old decision, you haven’t outgrown yourself.
  12. Confirmation bias is a psychological phenomenon that makes you consider points that are strengthening your decision (or preconceived opinion). Never look for feedback from people who agree with you all the time. Choose the feedbacks which is not pleasing or supports your decisions and address every point in it.
  13. Listening to stupid opinions is not a waste of time. It may help you to think outside of the box.
  14. The amount of research you’ve done is never enough to make any decision at any point in time. All you need is necessary (or) sufficient research data.
  15. There’s no decision that is both important and urgent at the same time. If that’s the case, ask for time to think, or else choose the low-risk path. (Urgency always makes you get influenced or emotional.)
  16. You always tend to choose what you desire to see than what you’re capable of. A good, clear self-evaluation can stop you from doing that.
  17. When you are about to choose one of the best options, you always look into the negatives of it and the positives of other options. Grasses are always greener on the other side. Look for the “Single decisive reason”.
  18. Your mind always tends to decide before thinking about the reasons. To reduce the memory load, it ignores the reasons that it can’t keep into consideration all the time of mental thought processes. You need to write the reasons and the decision. If you can’t explain it in simple words, your decision may not be the best one.

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