7 Techniques for Making Better Decisions

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Written by Jimmie Burroughs Email this article to a friend

Being a good leader is contingent on how well you are able to make good decisions. If your decision making is poor, then your time as a leader will be brief. There is no doubt but what decision making skills is a top requirement for leadership.

There is no set age limit for learning to make better decisions. Anyone can improve their decision making by learning the 7 techniques for making better decisions.

There is usually more than just making a decision and being done. One decision often requires a series of follow up decisions. Every decision we make is different and requires conscious thought pertaining to its specifics. And each decision is unique because it has its own set of unique alternatives that has to be taken into consideration and the outcomes of those alternatives.

Good decision making means that you are able to make things happen rather than relying on just waiting and letting things happen. This requires directing events instead of letting chance determine outcome. Making good decisions is a learned skill.

7 Techniques for making better decisions are:

1.     Getting to the root of a problem

 Analyzing a problem and determining how severe it is and determining how it must be resolved is the first step in making the right decision. If it is a big problem, it must first be broken down into its essential parts and then decisions on each of those elements must be made in order to solve the overall problem. Problems by their very nature require that certain changes be made. For example, if there is a weight problem which is causing associated health problems, the change in diet and exercise are the required changes.

 2.     Understanding the cause of the problem and its solution

When you know what the problem is, then the next action is to gain a good understanding of the cause of the problem, and then decide what actions are necessary to resolve it. Naturally, no one set of actions fits every problem, so there must be specific actions taken for a particular problem. For example, the cause of a weight problem may be eating too much of the wrong kind of food, but just eating less food may not be the best answer to losing weight and eliminating a related health problem. Deciding what kind of food is important along with eating less food, and also what kind of exercise program is suitable.

3.     Set Goals that address problem solving

If it’s a weight loss that is needed to resolve a related health problem, determine how much weight must be lost and decide on a practical time table for losing the unneeded weight. Keep records of progress and make adjustments to your goals if needed to keep them practical and within reason.

This applies to any kind of problem you might have. Goals are a necessary part, and must be set according to a practical and reasonable time table, which addresses the particular problem.

Your own values and what you consider to be important should guide your goal setting and not what someone else might think you should accomplish. This doesn’t mean that the advice from professionals should be completely ignored. What it means is that no one knows your particular needs as well as you do.

4.     Consider as many available variations as possible

The solutions to most problems have a number of variations that might work well, and deciding which is best suited to your particular problem and which will be the most effective, is part of the decision process. Important decisions require more time; spending an adequate amount of time deciding what solution is best suited for you is well worthwhile.

Of course there are many variables to consider in choosing what best meets your particular needs; cost, time required and effectiveness are a few. Choosing the lowest cost variable is not always best if the desired outcome is less than you need. Getting an acceptable balance in the cost, time and outcome is the key to selecting the right solution. Of course there are exceptions when cost is not the issue, only the outcome.

Take caution to not delay your decision with hopes of finding a perfect solution. Action may be postponed in certain situations to allow more time to get a more suitable solution, but indefinitely postponing decisions is procrastination that needs to be avoided.

5.     Once a decision is made take action

Taking action is the key to making good decisions. Once the means of the solution has been determined, immediate action is then in order. The bodies that make up the judicial branches of the federal government are a prime example for putting off taking action. Their delay often causes additional financial burdens for tax payers. But it is also easy for individuals to just put off actions that we needs to taken without delay.

Initial decisions rarely ever completely solve problems; they are just the beginning of a process that may require several more decisions before the problem finally goes away. For example, embarking upon a new career requires determining how and where to receive the necessary training, how to pay for the training, how to support yourself in the meantime and how to secure future employment related to your new career. But once again, when the decision is made it’s time to take action.

A decision making pattern is what is termed as “The chain-linkage pattern”. In other words one decision naturally requires another and another and each sequential decision is dependent on previous decisions, and each decision requires its unique action before moving on to the next sequence.

6.     Accept accountability for your decisions

Each person is accountable for their own life even though it is common to place blame for the decisions and actions we take on someone else, or something else. Once your decision is made based on the best information and amount of resources you have, commit yourself to accepting all responsibility for the outcome. Living with decisions we have made is sometimes not easy, especially if they have been carelessly made, but nevertheless they are our decisions.

One further thing: most of the time our decisions are not set in stone, so they can be modified if the need becomes apparent. Sometimes a brand new decision is needed to completely change direction. We gain knowledge of ourselves and our needs as time goes by, and therefore changes in plans are often necessary.

7.     Tracking and evaluating the ongoing as well as the final results

There are a couple of guidelines that you might want to use to help you make decisions concerning what actions are best  if the outcome you’re getting is not meeting your expectations. First, if the decision can be reversed, you might want to take that route, and try a different approach. Second, if the decision cannot be reversed, then take time to thoroughly think it through to determine what other alternatives you may add to get the results you prefer. In any case evaluating decisions for progress is essential. Tracking and following up are crucial to any success.

Conclusion:

Now when you make decisions with the above techniques in mind, you know at least that you have confronted your problems and have done your best to come to a rational and acceptable outcome. Time will tell if your decision were good or bad. Don’t expect every decision to get an “A” score. After all we gain wisdom with each decision and grow in our ability to make good decisions. Here’s hoping that all your future decisions will be good ones.

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Jimmie Burroughs is the author of JimmieBurroughs.com ; get more tips on personal development: www.JimmieBurroughs.com

JimmieBurroughs.com is founded and maintained by Jimmie Burroughs Nashville, Tennessee. _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ © 2011 Jimmie Burroughs. All rights reserved
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