I’m sure you know the feeling. You’re called upon to make a significant decision. It might about a hire. It might be about a large purchase. Maybe it’s a change in business strategy or process that will impact lots of people. The decision is resting on you. People are looking to you, trusting you, believing that you know what you’re doing.
But then maybe you begin to doubt yourself. This is a big deal. You don’t want to screw it up. You don’t want to be the one who did the wrong thing. Perhaps you begin to procrastinate, putting the decision off until you’re backed into a corner. Then you have to make the decision in a rush and that doesn’t feel right either.
Or maybe you analyze it to death. You research, ask questions, discuss it endlessly with others. Maybe you think you’re trying to be collaborative, but in reality all you’re doing is seeking cover so when things go wrong you can point to someone else. Writer Seth Godin observed a while back that people don’t seem to fear making a mistake as much as they fear the blame that might come with making it. Does any of this sound familiar? Well, you’ve got lots of company.
So how do the best thinkers, top leaders, whatever you want to call them, get past these feelings of uncertainty? In my observation, they have a routine for making the big decisions. Here are the steps they take.
First, they get really clear on what the decision actually is. Sometimes we speak in really broad ideas. These typically start out with phrases like, “What we should really do is . . .” or maybe, “Hey! I’ve got an idea. Why don’t we . . .” But these aren’t real decisions. Somebody might propose something in a meeting. Maybe the boss says, “I’ve got a problem I need you to fix.”
But if you don’t drill down on the specifics, you can end up solving the wrong problem or approaching the issue in the wrong way. The best decision-makers are careful to define what need to be accomplished, what the benefit of the big purchase is, or how the proposed rule will make things function better. They know that an awful lot of the time, the big idea is just wishful thinking. That’s not the basis upon which to make an important decision or a large investment.
Second they review their past decisions of a similar nature. What worked? What didn’t work? Where did things go wrong? What were people unhappy with? Were those concerns justified or just the complaints of people who don’t like change? What should they have known the last time that they didn’t before making the decision? I’ve met a number of leaders who maintain a diary of sorts on the decisions they’ve made so they can go back and research what they did last time and what the take-aways were.
They also review what they know about how others made this kind of decision. That’s one of the reason’s they’re fans of business biographies and profiles. They want to know how other people approached the same situations.
Third, they turn everything off with the exception of what’s absolutely essential. They put their smart phone in a drawer, turn off the laptop, get rid of the distractions around them. They might go someplace where they are not bothered by environmental nuisances. They don’t go to the local coffee shop, where there’s always a television on. They take a walk or hide someplace where no one can find them.
Fourth, they consider the downstream. They understand that nobody thinks exactly the way they do. Sure, those people might understand the reasoning, but only through the lens of their own desires and experiences. This means the decision-makers have to anticipate objections, alternative ideas, work-arounds, even cheating to prevent these obstacles from getting in the way of implementation.
They also know that when it comes to new processes, regulations and policies, implementation requires time, cheerleading, enforcement, and even some uncomfortable changes to personnel. But that’s the job of those in charge and they accept that.
Fifth, they step into the unknown. In other words, they act even though whatever they do will have unexpected outcomes. They accept the fact that they will never have all the information. They listen to their intuition. They know to be flexible within the parameters of the decision. They maintain perspective, even a sense of humor, as whatever they decide plays out.
Finally, they take stock. They conduct a post-mortem on the decision and what happened. They might do this personally or with a team. They might ask those affected how it could have been implemented better. The best decision makers I know are both confident AND vulnerable. They know they don’t have all the answers. This encourages people to be candid in their comments. That makes them better thinkers for the next time they need to make the big decision. When they follow this kind of routine, they are able to focus because they don’t feel the pressure of these distractions.
Now, you may be thinking, “I know all this. There’s nothing new here.” But this is not about knowledge. It’s about execution. Do you have a routine similar to this that ensures you make the best decisions when the pressure is on?
What do you think of these five steps? What would you add? What would you modify? How will this help you going forward? Let me know by writing your ideas in the comments below.