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#Leadership : How To Improve Your Decision Making Skills…In Order for the Brain to Make Decisions, it Often Relies on Short Cuts.

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Sometimes we may not have all the necessary information available, other times we only use a limited amount of information offered.  This means we regularly make decisions based on just a few facts or what first comes to mind based on our previous experience and knowledge.  These strategies are known as heuristics and can be useful for speed and agility, but can also lead to all sorts of errors.  It is therefore, useful to be aware of this.

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To empower everyone this way will lead to all employees making better decisions quickly and effectively.  And think how much life at work will be improved.

If you know that you, like everyone else, is susceptible to cognitive heuristics you can take this into account when making important decisions and seek more information than you think you needed in the first place.  It sounds obvious, but is not always acted upon.

Think of an everyday business scenario.  You’re confident in your ability to interview people and select the right candidate for the job.  You spend time with your new employee, explaining the ethos of the company and what needs to be done.  In fact, you pride yourself on your ability to delegate.

 

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As far as you are concerned you have laid the foundations for success, so why is their ability to make a decision so hard, even on relatively minor things?  In fact, it’s driving you to distraction because people are just not thinking for themselves and making a responsible judgment.

Very little is done without a decision being made, so it’s vital that everyone in your team is able to make decisions quickly and skilfully.  If you or your people hesitate for too long, money can be lost and morale can plummet.  And in our fast-changing world this is more important today than ever before.

Every employee must not only be capable, but also feel confident and clear in making decisions quickly within the guidelines of basic company policy.  Of course, the bigger problems will need to be presented to the next level of management.  But for everyday challenges the agility of each person’s judgements is vital for a company to run smoothly.

There will be times however, that a decision proves to be difficult and more time is needed.  Time for seeking informed opinions from others is sensible, because a poor decision is of no benefit to anyone.

So how do we help our people to develop better decision making skills?

Being aware of how the brain has a preference for short cuts is a useful start.  But it is also important that everyone who works for your company understands the bigger picture, the reasons you are selling your particular products or services, where the business wants to be in 6 months, 1 year and 5 years time.  When everyone is aware of the ‘grand plan’ they will know where they fit in the great scheme and how they can contribute.  This kind of clarity leads to sensible decisions being made.

This can be extended to where the business fits in society and how it benefits others.  When we have a balanced outlook on life we are empowered to calmly work things out from experience.

Calm leads to the fourth enabler for decision making.  When we work on the first three suggestions printed here, we are more likely to be stress free.  If we become chronically stressed, cortisol the stress hormone interferes with our memory, motivation and ability to think clearly.  It makes sense therefore, to put these foundations in place so as to remain calm, efficient and even healthy.

To recap, the four suggestions offered are:

    1. Be aware of cognitive heuristics – ask more questions and gather more data than you originally thought you needed.
    2. Make sure everyone in the business is aware of the bigger picture and how they can contribute well.
    3. Look further out to society in general and where the business benefits others. This knowledge and experience will empower improved decision making.
    4. These first three tips will help you stay calm and not succumb to disenabling stressors.

To empower everyone this way will lead to all employees making better decisions quickly and effectively.  And think how much life at work will be improved.

 

Forbes.com | July 17, 2016  |  Lynda Shaw