All decisions don’t have equal values. Wearing which outfit today and how you like your eggs is an easy and low-risk decision.
But when you step into your professional life and take on leadership roles, your decisions or choices become more important. They can affect your employees and business success. This is the reason to learn decision-making skills.
Effective decision-making assists you in preventing rushing into complicated things or getting stuck overthinking. Solving problems calmly and utilizing clear plans enable you to make better choices. In this way, you can not only lead to better results but also gain the trust of your teammates. Developing good decision-making skills will help you succeed personally and professionally as well.
What are decision-making skills?
Decision-making is a skill that you acquire by following good habits and thinking through things. Rather than guessing or following your instincts, solid decision-making enables you to:
- Examine the facts closely
- Know other people’s perspectives
- Consider what may happen next
- Think about alternatives
- Test whether your choice fits
Often, the tough part is realizing you need to make a decision. Many people are unable to take decisions and are waiting with the hope that the problem will be solved by itself or someone else should decide. If you want to become a leader in the future, knowing the importance of your choice is essential.
Effective decision-making facilitates goal-setting, fosters team accountability, and increases happiness and productivity. Your team will succeed if you make wise decisions!
What are the 6 different types of decision-making skills?
Below we have mentioned the 6 different types of decision-making skills. It is important for any leader to become an expert in:
- Problem-solving skills
- Creativity skills
- Time-management skills
- Foresight and planning skills
- Collaboration skills
- Emotional intelligence skills
1. Problem-solving skills
To solve problems and fix challenges, clear thinking, good judgment and basic science skills are needed. These skills prevent you from making instant decisions that may lead to the wrong results.
Employers love problem-solving! 87% said it is a must-have when they hire new business grads. So you want to get good at problem-solving? Learn everything you can about the problem. Find as many facts and details as you can first. After that, apply your previous experiences to the present scenario. This may help you to discover intelligent means to devise improvements and success.
2. Creativity skills
If you’re stuck deciding, think in fresh ways. Being innovative allows you to discover concepts outside the obvious. Begin by thinking of numerous possibilities. Next, apply problem-solving steps to select the most excellent ones.
To enhance creativity, being in control of your time is helpful. Studies indicate that relaxed emotions keep your mind open to more things, and intense emotions make you concentrate on fewer aspects. Achieving a proper balance between being calm and enthusiastic is the key to making intelligent decisions.
3. Time-management skills
Time management and decision making both co-relate with each other. When you have to solve a task on an emergency note, it’s easy to feel confused or think in only two ways right or wrong. This leads to bad decisions, making things even worse.
But when you manage your time and set clear priorities, you reduce confusion and stress. This helps you think more clearly and make better decisions. So good time management skills make you a good leader also.
4. Foresight and planning skills
Knowing where you are going is great, but knowing how to get there is better. Thinking ahead and planning enable you and your team to make smooth, intelligent decisions. This is extremely crucial when creating a future-proof team.
If you are to succeed, you require a roadmap. Consider potential outcomes and have backup plans in place according to what is currently unfolding.
Sometimes, too many options paralyze you. Anticipating in advance enables you to make the best choice by forecasting what could occur.
It also enables you to make intelligent “second-step” choices when, where, and how to choose. These intelligent steps save time, dollars, and prevent errors.
5. Collaboration skills
Not everyone knows everything. So group working is also essential. As a team leader, respecting your employees opinions enables you to make better decisions. Good leaders are also good listener.
Dividing various tasks among team members also reduces stress and increases trust between you and your employees. Teamwork and trust make it easy to achieve your goal quickly.
6. Emotional intelligence skills
There is a large part of decision-making where emotions influence thought. You may think that emotions muddle the decision-making process, but they do more than that! Emotions can rapidly convert a pile of old experiences into appropriate decisions based on your past, their wisdom, and also, your gut feelings.
The trick is knowing how to control your emotional intelligence, or the ability to recognize and regulate your feelings and emotions. Therefore, emotions should not be suppressed when making tough choices; rather, it is more beneficial to recognize and control them. When we do this, emotions become a guide to help you recognize options and make better choices. And, accepting emotions inside the decision-making process, can simplify choices and enhance decision-making.
Strategies to improve decision-making skills in life
One of the great parts of being responsible is making choices. Your decision doesn’t need to be perfect every time. However, some strategies can help to make effective decisions. By applying these tips in your life you can easily pick the right option and feel confident about what you decide.
1. Take your time
When you rush, you merely increase the complexity and stress of making the decision. As research from Columbia University and the University of Pittsburgh concluded, those who took a few seconds longer to decide made better decisions.
So, take your time. Relax, and first take some time to understand the situation before looking for a solution. Obviously, an abundance of time or resources isn’t necessarily helpful – we’ll discuss that later.
2. Preventing analysis paralysis
Before making a decision, it is good to gather all necessary information. However, raw data and extra information can confuse you. Sometimes, lots of information takes too much time and becomes the cause of delays. At some point there is only need to take action.
You can follow the below-mentioned steps to avoid feeling stuck:
- Set a clear deadline to decide
- Focus only on key facts
- Break your decision into small easy steps
3. Commit but don’t overcommit
Once you have selected a plan, give it your best shot. Being in control makes you confident and positive, and you will do your best. If you are unsure, you may not do your best despite having a smart plan.
But, don’t persist in ignoring problems or continuing if things do go wrong. If your project is not going well, be prepared to alter your strategy. Don’t continue throwing good money after bad simply because you have already wasted much. Pick what works best now!
4. Trust Your Intuition
Sometimes your intuition gives you some important clues. Your gut feeling shows the way of making smart decisions. So, don’t ignore your inside voice, it usually knows what’s good for you. No matter what you feel is right or wrong, try to listen carefully. These feelings help you make good choices and stay safe. Paying attention to every little voice can save you from big troubles. Trust your inner sense properly.
5. Learn from previous outcomes
Good choices don’t occur accidentally. Improvement comes by learning from your losses as well as your victories. Before you move, specify clear goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound (SMART). This allows you to discern what did and didn’t work clearly.
As you learn from previous outcomes, it becomes easier to make new decisions. Most great leaders claim to trust their instincts, but actually, their intuition is based on years of experience and knowledge. So, continue learning and setting precise objectives to make good decisions each time!
Make yourself an expert with Oxford Training Centre
The Oxford Training Centre’s Critical Thinking and Decision-Making Masterclass helps participants develop the skills necessary to detect biases, evaluate risks, and effectively use business intelligence to inform sharper and more confident decisions. This course provides actionable tools to practice, hand-in-hand with coaching from an expert, allowing professionals to think clearly and lead others successfully, no matter how fast changing the environment they are in.