By Kathleen E. Murphy
Making a decision seems to be a process which is increasingly becoming more difficult for people. This applies to people in both professional environments, and at home. I have noticed a trend in people deferring decisions, or what I will call “over consulting” with others. Having the web at our finger tips has also contributed towards this trend allowing people to easily yet unnecessarily over research and over analyze situations. When I have spoken to numerous people about how they make decisions, or whether making a decision is an easy process, the majority of people tell me they find it to be difficult. Why is this the case, and what are the benefits to delaying, or simply not being decisive?
Having worked in the business world for over 20 years, I acknowledge the fact my decision-making abilities have matured and been accelerated over the years. This is partially to do with the fact in the past I relied upon trusted advisors or mentors to help me with applying their wider and more polished perspective to each situation. I highly recommend to people who are starting out in their careers to build-up their stable of people they can rely upon for advice. My experience in having made thousands of decisions during my career and gaining more confidence with each decision I made has contributed towards me accelerating the speed at which I make decisions. Now consider how my experience has also allowed me to apply more layers of considerations factored into decisions, arguably making them much sounder, stronger and defensible.
There a variety of decision category types, but for the purposes of this article, I will focus on making decisions in a business environment. When people in business are empowered to make decisions on their own, and not by a committee, I have found they are more satisfied in their roles. They also are more decisive, and take better and more calculated risks, or what some refer to as “fail fast” decisions. However, many of these types of quick, definitive decisions produce extraordinary results, and the person and their employer gain the benefit of time being on their side. When decisions are elongated, and mulled over either by an individual or a committee, they lose the benefit of making a swifter decision which could have produced positive results right away. Yes, the opposite is possible, but thinking back to my article on “How Positivity Thinking Impacts Your Life” my stance would be to think about how you can accelerate all or most of your decisions.
Switching gears and focusing on you, now think about some of the times when you have been in a situation when you have been waiting for a decision to be made, or had to make a decision. When you are waiting for a decision to be made it can feel like an eternity. Conversely when you are making a decision it can feel like the clock is ticking loudly in your ear and you may feel physical pressure as your body tightens up as the minute’s tick by. My friends who are yoga and meditation experts would tell you to take deep breathes and slow down your thinking. This is good advice regardless of the situation, but wouldn’t you agree you feel better and more satisfied when you make a decision? Granted you might not be 100% satisfied, but it sure beats being indecisive in my experience every time. Yes, I will also agree not making a decision is a decision, but in my professional experience, it is better to make a definitive decision.
There are a number of informative articles on making decisions, and I came across one which breaks down and gives you 11 ways to help you do so. The article is from Success Magazine, and is called “11 Genius Tips to Be More Decisive”. We will all be better off if people we work with make an effort to be more decisive, and yes, make a decision and not vacillate, drag them out, or opt not to decide. Please consider being more decisive. I promise you others will appreciate you doing so. Give it a try and see what happens, and find a mentor or advisor if you cannot do this well on your own.
Kathleen E. Murphy is the Founder, Chief Strategist and CMO of Market Me Too. Market Me Too has expertise in bridging marketing and sales teams and providing organizations techniques to accelerate their market growth, regardless of the industry they are in, or the business stage they are presently at. Contact Kathleen at kathymurphy@me.com.