How to Have Better Decision-Making Skills
How to Have Better Decision-Making Skills
Decision-making skills are universally necessary. Whether they are an executive, a CEO, or the head of their household, decisions make up much of what we do in our lives. However, all too often, people either don’t have good decision-making skills or are not using them as well as they should be. Jonathan Osler discusses how they can have better decision-making skills so that when something difficult pops up in life or work, they will understand what’s going on and come up with the best possible solution.
Decision-making skills are the set of abilities used to identify decisions that need to be made, then choose among all possible solutions. This includes weighing options for their value, feasibility, desirability, risks associated with each option, and whatever else is important to the context of the decision being made.
Make a plan
The first thing that people can do to better their decision-making skills is to sit down and plan out what they want to accomplish. If they haven’t, then it’s time for them to stop and consider what they want from the situation. Unfortunately, this isn’t as straightforward as it may seem; many people think about doing things without thinking through why they want to do those things.
Decision-making is often used in tandem with other skills like problem-solving and critical thinking; before someone can solve a complex problem, they must know what the problem is, which requires identifying it correctly. Once someone has identified a problem, then he or she should be able to come up with all possible solutions and then choose the most viable one.
Be assertive
Another way that people can better their decision-making skills is by simply being more confident in what they are doing. Sometimes, especially when someone is under a lot of pressure, it’s easy to be indecisive and timid about taking action even when they know that there is a right thing that they need to do.
Reconsider the default
One common mistake that most people make in their lives with regards to making decisions is following the default course of action because it’s just easier. This isn’t an issue if the default option works for them, but sometimes it doesn’t. People should consider whether or not a certain choice needs to be made, and then if it does, they should take the time to weigh the options instead of just diving right in headfirst.
Limit choices
He states that one of the best things people can do to improve their decision-making skills is limit their choices. More often than not, especially when someone has a lot on their mind, they tend to make more mistakes because they don’t entirely focus on what they want to accomplish.
According to Jonathan Osler, decision making isn’t as hard as it seems, and with a bit of effort, people can improve their skills and use them more effectively. Once they learn how to do that, they’ll be able to handle better whatever life or work throws at them and come out ahead.
