Business Decision Making – 3 Questions to Ask Yourself [The One Goal Project]
This post is part of the One Goal Project to achieve exceptional performance at work. Learn more.
Business decision making can be a maze. Use these questions to find your way out. (source: joncampbell / CC 2.0)
Better Business Decision Making – 3 Simple Questions to Ask Yourself
“Be not careless in deeds, nor confused in words, nor rambling in thought.”
Marcus Aurelius
We all need to make decisions. Sometimes, we make bad decisions and learn from them. Other times we make great decisions and wonder why we even deliberated. Some people like to make really fast decisions and adjust as they learn what works. Others like to invest a lot of time to research the situation before making a decision.
One problem we all have – regardless of our decision making style – is that it’s very easy to go on “autopilot” and not make decisions with a lot of thought.
So, how can you make better business decisions more easily? Try this 3 step business decision making process that has worked for me. Just ask yourself each of the questions below, and answer them honestly. Sometimes I’ve found that writing my answers down helps too.
1. Have I heard the whole story?
It’s critical that you make a decision with a decent understanding of all sides of the story. Try not to make decisions based off of one person’s account of a situation. I’m not saying you should discount the person’s opinion, but remember that they might not know or understand all of the factors influencing the situation. Take the time to use active listening skills to really understand the issues and perspectives, and then move on to question #2.
2. What was the tipping point?
A tipping point is defined as “the level at which the momentum for change becomes unstoppable; the moment of critical mass, the threshold, the boiling point.” Experience has taught me that EVERY situation has a tipping point that caused it. If you have to make a decision, you have to understand the conditions that caused the need for your decision. You have to identify the tipping point, no matter how unclear it may be. Doing so will help you make a better decision.
3. What OUTCOME do I want?
This question will help you gain a tremendous amount of focus, and help you think through the solutions your decision will create. By asking “What outcome do I want?” you focus your mind on solutions, and not on problems. It also helps you to “take a step back” from the situation at hand, and assess how your decision can help or hurt the situation. This question is also great to use when preparing for a meeting.
Need to take the stress out of your business decision making process? I highly recommend you take 3 minutes to read 3 Quick Questions That Can Help You to Cut the Irrelevant Stuff Out of Your Life.
See also:Posted in: Communication Skills, Leadership, Personal Development
The idea of tipping point is more relevant but it is not so Easy.
Vaibhav Satpute
India