Navigating Tough Decisions: Practical Tips for Making Better Choices

Making important decisions can be challenging, but now that you have gained clarity by listing your values and are getting better at limiting your shame-activating negative self-talk, you’re well-positioned to approach this process thoughtfully. Decisions are hard enough on their own, but for those of us who have struggled with negative self-talk and shame, making decisions can seem daunting. Here are some strategies to help ensure you make the best decisions:

1. Define Your Goals Clearly

• Vision and Mission: Understand your long-term vision and mission. What do you want to achieve in the big picture?
• Specific Objectives: Break down your vision into specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) objectives.

2. Gather Information

• Research: Collect as much relevant information as possible. This might include market research, financial data, or expert opinions. Don’t let this go too far though. We can gather too much information and paralyze ourselves.

3. Consider Alternatives

• List Options: Write down all possible options. Don’t limit yourself to obvious choices; think creatively.
• Pros and Cons: Create a pros and cons list for each option to understand the potential benefits and drawbacks. Use a piece of scratch paper and write a line down the middle of the page. Write the Pros on one side and the Cons on the other.

4. Evaluate the Impact

• Short-term vs. Long-term: Consider each option's immediate and long-term impacts.
• Alignment with Values: Ensure your decision aligns with your core values and principles.

5. Use Decision-Making Frameworks (especially if the decision is related to business or finances)

• SWOT Analysis: Assess the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats related to each option.
• Cost-Benefit Analysis: Weigh the costs and benefits of each choice to see which provides the best overall value.

6. Seek Feedback

• Trusted Advisors: Discuss your options with mentors, advisors, or trusted friends. They can provide valuable perspectives and help identify any blind spots.
• Consensus: If business-related, Involve key stakeholders in the decision-making process to gain their insights and buy-in.

7. Simulate Scenarios

• What-If Analysis: Imagine possible scenarios and outcomes for each decision. How would you handle potential challenges or setbacks?
• Pilot Testing: If feasible, test your decision on a smaller scale before fully committing.

8. Listen to Your Intuition (Most Important)

• Gut Feeling: Pay attention to your gut feelings and instincts. Sometimes, your subconscious mind can guide you based on accumulated experiences. As described in Wednesday's video, you can never go wrong choosing your gut intuition.

9. Embrace Uncertainty

• Flexibility: Be prepared to adapt and change course if new information or circumstances arise.
• Risk Management: Identify potential risks and develop contingency plans.

10. Commit and Reflect

• Decision Time: Once you’ve weighed all factors, decide with confidence.
• Reflect and Learn: After implementing your decision, take time to reflect on the outcome. What worked well? What could have been done differently? Use these insights for future decisions.

Historical Example: Abraham Lincoln’s Leadership

Abraham Lincoln is often remembered for his ability to make tough decisions during the Civil War. He was known for his thoughtful deliberation, consulting with a diverse group of advisors, and remaining steadfast in his values.

His decision to issue the Emancipation Proclamation, despite considerable opposition, exemplified his commitment to his core values of liberty and justice. Lincoln’s process included gathering extensive information, seeking counsel, evaluating the broader impact, and ultimately, making a decision aligned with his vision for the nation.

Remember our exercise last week of listing out our values? Lincoln knew his values and lived by them and that’s one of the reasons he considered one of the greatest leaders of the 19th century.

Tactics for important decision-making:

1. Structured Approach

• Follow a structured approach like the DECIDE model

Define the problem
Establish criteria
Consider all alternatives
Identify the best alternative
Develop and implement a plan of action
Evaluate the decision

2. Decision Trees

• Use decision trees to map out possible outcomes and paths. This visual tool helps in understanding the potential impacts and probabilities of each choice. For the visual people reading this article, the decision tree can be a fun exercise. The trunk of the tree represents the subject of the decision. The branches represent possible decisions made. The leaves represent possible outcomes of those decisions. Have some fun with it. Creating a visual can make our decisions clearer.

3. Scenario Planning

• Imagine different scenarios and plan for various outcomes. This helps in preparing for uncertainties and making more resilient decisions. You can combine this with your decision tree.

4. Mindfulness and Stress Reduction

• Practice mindfulness and stress-reduction techniques to maintain a clear and calm mind. This ensures you are in the best mental state to make decisions. You can find these tactics throughout all of my previous articles.

5. Incremental Decision-Making

• Break down big decisions into smaller, manageable steps. This makes the process less overwhelming and allows for adjustments along the way.

By following a thoughtful and inclusive process like Lincoln's, you can navigate tough decisions more effectively. Remember, making good decisions is a skill that improves with practice and reflection.

If you’re on LinkedIn, please connect with me, and don’t hesitate to offer your feedback or share a personal story with me. You can connect with me and join my extensive network of 30,000 people by clicking here.

This is the 3rd Step and Chapter within my book. There are 7 steps in total and we have been covering them the last three weeks. You can find my award-winning book by clicking here. Thank you for your support.