It’s your high level of efficiency that makes you placed in some of the brilliant positions; well, you can’t be blamed for that. Here is a real thing that will trigger you to think about effective decision making and not just jumping on to a decision.

Amy is working in a leading cyber security firm that collaborates with the different security and intelligence services of the nation. Quite expectedly, the cyber security organization follows a matrix structure where three different organization frameworks coexist together. Amy, being a smart, enthusiastic individual, has been put in three critical teams. Well, she deserves that and lives up to her roles with due commitment.

However, she needs to report to three different organizational structures with three different managers having varying obligations. With overlapping deadlines and commitments, she finds it hard to cater to the individual demands.  Being such a passionate and capable employee, she will certainly not quit either of three roles.

If you have been in Amy’s position, how do you think you have dealt with it?

Take a pause and let’s have some productive food for thought. Well, it’s the effective decision making that’s going to make all the difference.

Decision making is an art and a science, both. Life throws you a lot of tricky situations where you are expected to make a mature decision. At times, you can make informed decisions, while there can be instances where you have to take an impromptu decision, after being caught unaware in a situation.

In professional lives, some of the challenging decisions are taken by lawyers, court judges, sports captains, medical surgeons, bomb disposal officer and more. When it comes to personal lives, we all face fiddly instances which propels us to take decisions which we had never thought of. Had the situation been so awkward and unprecedented, we probably wouldn’t have known that we needed to take such actions.

So, yes, depending on situations, decisions change. However, unless you learn the key to effective decision making, you will not be able to make effective decisions when life throws you unexpected challenges.  So, How to Make Decisions which are informed and effective?

A few people are born with this skill and they realize this hidden potential when they actually endure the need for such decision-making. However, for the rest of us, here is good news! Decision making is a quality which can be learnt. Let’s take a look at some of them.

8 Steps To Effective Decision Making

Step 1: Take a pause

When we are triggered with unexpected events, we tend to react instead of respond (reflex over reflect). A lot of external factors influence us and we don’t get time to ponder on the situation. We don’t get the space between the event and the action. And, like a lot of people say, you need to engage your brain, be pragmatic in decision making.

In the process, we don’t learn to trust our instincts. Heart and gut instincts play an important role in our Effective Decision Making process.

We understand that life’s major decisions are often very crucial and time-critical. There is a tendency to jump into conclusion and that’s natural. However, the advice is to take out time and not be distracted with external influences. This will help you make your own decision, minus other vulnerabilities. Down the line, you will know that it has been your decision.

Step 2: Ponder over the situation

A lot of decisions fail because the situation is not analyzed well. You need to investigate the situation well to be able to arrive at the right decision. As we have just seen that you need to set some time aside before taking the decision, leverage it to understand the roots of the problem. Is it a standalone problem or a mirror of something bigger? Check out Why, Where, When, Whom and How to see the different factors related to a decision.

For instance, if you need to choose between 3 different job offers, analyze the W’s and H to be able to make the right decision. Your decision will also depend on what repercussions your decision will bring on other things.

Step 3: Get all information possible

Gather all possible information you can before driving the decision. Find out the information sources and collect all details you can about the specific decision. If it's professional, gather all info about it before making your choice about the job offer. If it's about choosing a doctor for a critical medical treatment, make the choice after collecting all facts about the treatment procedure and the doctors like the success rate, the cost, duration of the treatment, behavior of the doctors and a bunch of other factors.

Step 4: Find alternatives

It’s important to analyze the alternatives you have for your decision. So, if you are choosing option A, find if there are options B and C. If there are no options, your job of decision making is easier. If there are alternatives, weigh all and take an informed decision. You might have a combination of alternatives if possible. Be it your professional life or personal arena, brainstorm between options and trust your heart in the process.

Step 5: Do not think about blame

Often, we worry about our decisions where we might be blamed later if things fall apart. A lot of external influences wait to put the gun on your shoulder when things don’t go the right way. But, eliminate all such negative thoughts while taking the decision.

Once you make an informed decision, never look back. Do not procrastinate about what can happen if it goes wrong. Start with positivity believing your decision will take you to the right path. Never blame yourself and ensure your decision is just yours. When it comes to others, do not ruminate over what others will say on your decision because it's you who is going through the journey and not others. Hence, nobody will exactly know how your journey is.

Step 6: Prioritize

When you think about the different W’s and H about your decision, think what truly matters. When you face a problem, start with why it is important. Answering about why this decision is so important will help you make the right choice. Your brain and heart will guide you towards the right thing to do.

Step 7: Better to realize the consequences

When we say we need to make an informed decision, it also means knowing the pros and cons. Yes, you need to start on a positive note and belief. The pros are pretty evident i.e., if your decision goes right, life is wonderful ahead. If your decision, God forbid, goes wrong, then what are the consequences.

For instance, if you are making a decision about investing in a business, know what might happen if the decision goes wrong. For a career choice, consider what happens if you don’t get through the University of your choice.

Step 8: Take action

After you have done all that you can to make the right decision, take action. Once you decide, act upon it. Trust that it will go fine and leave the rest on the process.

If you are holding a significant position in your professional life, it's important to know the keys to important decision making. Irrespective of that, learning effective decision making is extremely crucial in personal lives. A certified life coach is the best professional who can guide you in this process.

Life coaches are trained, experienced and skilled to let you learn the ways to be prepared for critical decision making. Majority events in life are unprecedented and you need to be always prepared about taking up such critical decisions.

Search for the best life coach in India and get in touch with him/her to grasp the skills of decision making. To make your exploration easier, look for Dr. Paras, a highly recognized life coach not just in India, but all across the globe.

Dr. Paras has immense life experiences and ICF certification to coach you for the right skills. Check out the website to find the exclusive courses the coach has spearheaded. Thousands of people have already undertaken these courses and have immensely benefited, thanks to their reviews. See which course suits your life purpose.