Decision Making – why is it so difficult to make decisions when decision making is a part of everything we do? I guess when I really think about it, there are several reasons why we struggle to make decisions and lately I have become aware of how much the inability to make a timely decision impacts the other areas of out life.
I am part of a team that will be hosting a Dave Ramsey Entreleadership Simulcast on September 21. I have been reviewing Ramsey’s book Entreleadership and he has a great chapter on indecision addressing this issue. He has done a great job in identifying reasons why we struggle to make decisions and offers some great ideas on how to make them better, more timely and most importantly, based on a logical process in doing so.
Ramsey offers up two main reasons why we struggle to make decisions:
1. FEAR
One of the biggest reasons that we have a tendency to be indecisive is that we are afraid that the decision we make will be wrong. This is where we get stuck a lot of the time because, in our busy lives, we simply shelf the decision to be made like something magic will happen and the right decision will pop into our head.
“Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living in Fear.” – Les Brown
2. CRITICISM
Another major reason for indecision is that we feel that we will be criticized for the decision we make. Let’s face it, a decision is a choice and our choices affect others. Many decisions will result in positive outcomes for some and negative for others. This results in criticism. Our human condition doesn’t like criticism and therefore we avoid making a decision.
Here are a few of Ramsey’s ideas on the decision making process:
1. OPTIONS
Yes pen and paper still exist, so now is a good time to use them. Write down as many options as you can think of. This will not only help you identify the multiple choices that you have but may provide insight that you won’t see otherwise.
2. COLLABORATION
Some decisions can only be made by you. Most decisions can be made through collaborating with your team, your friends or your spouse. This will not only provide additional thoughts and ideas but will also produce higher engagement and team building.
3. VALUES
Many times we get caught up in the urgency or magnitude of the decision to be made and forget about our core value system and our mission statement. Sometimes a review of these two things can bring clarity and make the decision process much simpler and result in a quicker decision.
4. RESULTS
Make sure that you spend enough time evaluating all the responses that you may get from the decision. Many times we focus so much on the benefits of the decision that we forget about the negative side. Invest the time to evaluate both sides of the decision outcome.
The bottom line is this, decisions that we are faced with making hang on our shoulders like a heavy weight. The faster we can make the decision, the faster we can get on with our lives. Every decision is not necessarily simple to make but you have to be proactive in making it. To just put it at the bottom of the pile will slow you down and add stress to your life.
Evaluate the decisions you need to make and proactively pursue the best way to go about making those decisions.
CLICK HERE if you are in the Portland area and would like more information about the Entreleadership event on September 21st.
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Barry Smith www.buildingwhatmatters.com 9/10/12 photo courtesy of amazon
