Tag Deciding

How to Make Pressure-Packed Decisions

Steve Keating Leave a comment

When faced with a particularly difficult decision, many people, perhaps even most people, decide not to decide. What they don’t understand is that it IS a decision, it is a decision to do nothing, to maintain the status quo, and to “just see what happens.”

It is surrendering control over their circumstances. It is hoping for the best rather than strategizing and planning to give “the best” a better chance of actually happening.

But deciding can be hard, especially when you’re making major life, career, or business decisions. It gets even harder when, for whatever reason, you have a limited amount of time to make the decision. The pressure, at times, can be overwhelming.

But decisions must be made nonetheless. The good news is that YOU can make them!

While making tough decisions under pressure can be challenging, having a pre-planned structured approach to decision-making helps ensure better outcomes. Here’s a step-by-step process you may want to consider using when faced with a pressure-packed decision.

1. Stay Calm and Centered

Take a moment to pause and breathe. Stress can cloud judgment, so centering yourself helps you think more clearly.

If time permits, step away from the immediate pressure to gain perspective. Even a 30- minute break can make a big difference.

2. Clarify the Goal

Identify what outcome you want to achieve. If you don’t have an identifiable outcome, then back up and figure out where you want to go, before you pick a path to get there.

Ask yourself: What is the ultimate objective? What problem am I solving?

3. Prioritize the Key Factors

Focus on what matters most in the decision. Great decision-makers know that while details matter, not all details are created equal.

Consider factors such as time sensitivity, risks, long-term impacts, and alignment with your values or goals.

4. Gather Critical Information

Seek out the most essential information available within the time constraints.

Avoid analysis paralysis by focusing on what is necessary, not every detail.

5. Weigh the Options

List the possible choices and their potential outcomes.

Use a pros and cons list or a simple ranking system to evaluate each option objectively.

6. Trust Your Instincts and Experience

Under pressure, you may not have time to deliberate for long. Trust your instincts, especially if you’ve faced similar situations before.

Leverage past experiences and lessons to guide your decisions.

7. Consider the Worst-Case Scenario

Ask yourself: What’s the worst that can happen? Can I live with it?

If the consequences are manageable, it can reduce anxiety about making the wrong choice. Remember that it is frequently easier to “fix” a wrong decision than it is to fix a no decision. So decide.

8. Seek Input if Possible

If time allows, consult someone you trust for a second opinion. They might offer a perspective you haven’t considered.

In high-pressure moments, a quick discussion can provide clarity.

9. Make the Decision and Commit

Once you’ve weighed your options, make a choice and commit to it. If you do not act on the decision, then in all likelihood, you haven’t actually made a decision.

Indecision wastes time and creates more stress. Trust that you have done your best with the information available.

10. Reflect and Adjust if Needed

After the decision, assess its impact and be prepared to make adjustments if necessary.

Learn from the experience to improve your decision-making process in the future.

Mindset Tips for Decision-Making Under Pressure:

Embrace Imperfection: No decision is perfect. Focus on making the best decision given the circumstances. Remember, sometimes you make the right decisions and sometimes you’ll need to make the decision right.

Stay Positive: Confidence in your ability to handle challenges builds resilience in tough situations.

Focus on Action: Avoid overthinking and shift quickly into action once the decision is made.

Your life is made from choices and decisions. If you’re not making decisions regarding YOUR life, sometimes big and pressure-packed decisions, then someone else is making them for you. That is not the way to live your best life possible.

So decide today that you’ll be the one making YOUR life decisions, no matter how challenging they may be.

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How to Avoid Jumping to Conclusions

Steve Keating 5 Comments

There’s a lot of good that comes from jumping. Jumping to catch a baseball as it’s going over the outfield wall can get you on ESPN’s SportsCenter. Jumping to get out of the way of an oncoming train can be literally life-saving. And then of course there is my personal favorite, jumping for joy. I mean, really, who doesn’t like joy?

But not all jumping is good. Some is downright bad. Perhaps none more so than jumping to conclusions.

The world was able to witness the pitfalls of jumping to conclusions in real-time recently when an attempt was made to assassinate Donald Trump. Within minutes, “experts” on social media knew exactly what happened, how it had happened, and why it had happened. One of the first accounts I read was on X, formerly known as Twitter. This “expert” declared the whole thing was fake, stating that there were no shots, no bullets, and no injuries.

Now you may find that hard to believe, but this “expert” had irrefutable proof. Their proof was that an AR-15 was likely used, and as “everyone knows” a bullet from an AR-15 that comes even within 1 foot of someone will “blow them apart.” A bullet couldn’t have just grazed someone’s ear; if it even came close to their ear, they would be gone.

How could anyone even begin to argue with “proof” like that?

That person had a preconceived notion of what happened and simply “bent” the “facts” to accommodate that notion. There was no attempt to discover any new information because that new information may challenge their thinking. They simply jumped to the conclusion they wanted.

Now before you go thinking that the person who posted that is an obvious idiot, you need to make sure that you don’t, at least at times, do the same kind of thing. Maybe not that crazy of a conclusion, but we all have the ability to “mind-bend” facts to get them to accommodate the outcome we’re hoping for.

Jumping to conclusions is very expensive for a business and very damaging to our personal lives. It’s likely you, me, and everyone else has made a decision at work that was based on a false, quickly jumped to, conclusion.

You may have also prematurely ended a relationship based on jumping to a conclusion too quickly. With too few facts and way too much emotion.

But we humans are emotional beings, and it almost seems to be human nature to jump to conclusions. So how do we control our nature and make fact-based, well-thought-out decisions that are less emotional and more logic-based?

That’s going to require that we change some habits. Habits of using facts “we just know” need to be replaced with reflective thinking and critical evaluation. Here are some ideas that can help you begin to make the necessary changes.

Gather All Information:

• Ensure you have all the relevant facts before forming an opinion. The key word there is indeed “before”.

• Seek out additional data if necessary, and avoid relying solely on initial impressions. First impressions are often incorrect, but that doesn’t make them easy to get out of your mind.

Consider Multiple Perspectives:

• Try to view the situation from different angles.

• Ask yourself how others might view the same issue and why they might hold different opinions.

Question Assumptions:

• Identify any assumptions you might be making. You know what assuming makes us, right?

• Challenge these assumptions and consider whether they are justified.

Delay Judgment:

• Give yourself time to think before making a decision.

• Avoid making snap judgments or decisions when you’re emotional or stressed. Remember, any decision made in less than 10 minutes is a snap decision.

Seek Evidence:

• Look for evidence that supports or contradicts your initial thoughts.

• Base your conclusions on concrete evidence rather than speculation or hearsay. “They” are the biggest liars in the world. “They” can never be held accountable because nobody really has a clue who “they” are. Don’t trust “they.”

Reflect on Past Experiences:

• Consider past situations where you might have jumped to conclusions and reflect on the outcomes. I’ll bet you’d like a do-over on many of them.

• Learn from these experiences to improve your decision-making process.

Engage in Critical Thinking:

• Use logic and reasoning to analyze the situation.

• Break down complex issues into smaller parts and evaluate each component systematically.

Ask Clarifying Questions:

• If you’re unsure about something, ask questions to gain clarity. Guessing and assuming make great springboards to a mistaken conclusion. Stay grounded by asking questions or doing as complete a job of research as possible.

• Don’t hesitate to seek further information from reliable sources.

Discuss with Others:

• Talk to others who might have more information or a different viewpoint. Be open to those different viewpoints and understand that even the smartest people can be wrong sometimes. That means you can be wrong sometimes too.

• Engaging in discussions can provide new insights and help you see the bigger picture.

Self-awareness:

• Recognize when you might be jumping to conclusions and take a step back to reassess. If you don’t have the facts, actual concrete facts, to support your conclusion, you may have jumped into something you shouldn’t have. Never hesitate to jump back out.

There’s a lot of discussion going on right now about “dialing down the rhetoric” and choosing our words more carefully. That’s hard to do when you’re in mid-air jumping towards a conclusion. So, think before you decide, think before you speak, and think before you risk making a fool of yourself.

Kinda sounds like thinking can solve a lot of problems. I hope that’s one conclusion we can all agree on.

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How to Make Difficult Decisions

Steve Keating 4 Comments

I was in a meeting several years ago when someone in a very high leadership position asked “how do you teach someone to make a decision?” I responded by saying “you let them make decisions, sometimes even bad ones.”

I’m not sure that was a very well received answer, especially the “even bad ones” part. But it’s still true today, there is no better way for anyone to learn how to make decisions than to make them. It’s kind of like riding a bike. You can watch videos on bike riding, you can read a book on how to ride a bike but at some point, the only way to learn how to actually ride a bike is to ride one. Even if that means falling off a bunch of times.

But managers in organizations have a very difficult time allowing other people, particularly people lower than them in the organization, to make decisions. They “empower” them to make decisions but they seldom enable them. That prevents even empowered people from exercising that power. And that’s just fine with most managers.

Leaders however both empower and enable their people to make decisions. They offer suggestions, they coach and they provide feedback but they seldom overrule a decision made by someone they empowered. Even at times when they know the outcome will be less than optimal.

They won’t allow their people to make large, expensive mistakes but they know allowing the small, less costly mistakes from time to time might be the best investment they can make in the development of their people.

Once the mistake is realized they coach their people to “solve” the problem on their own…that’s the “learning” part of how to make better decisions.

But making big and difficult decisions can be daunting, whether it be in business or our personal lives. If you have difficult decisions to make here’s a process that may help.

1. Gather Information. Collect all relevant information about the decision at hand. This could include pros and cons, potential consequences, and any available data or insights. You may never have all the information you’d like to have but that’s okay, some of the additional steps below can help you fill in the blanks.

2. Define Criteria. Determine the criteria that are important for making the decision. This could involve considering your values, goals, priorities, and any constraints or limitations.

3. Explore Options. Brainstorm and explore different options or alternatives. Be creative and open-minded, considering both conventional and unconventional paths.

4. Evaluate Options. Assess each option against the criteria you defined earlier. Consider the potential outcomes, risks, and benefits associated with each option.

5. Consider Consequences. Think about the short-term and long-term consequences of each option. Consider how each decision could impact your life, as well as the lives of others involved. The best decision makers I know consider not only the consequences of a decision but the consequences of the consequences of the consequences. They are often a step or two ahead of everyone else involved in the decision making process. This is the level you should work towards.

6. Trust Your Instincts. While it’s important to analyze and weigh your options carefully, sometimes your gut feeling can provide valuable insight. Trust your intuition, especially if all options seem equally appealing or unappealing. That “intuition” is often a learning from a past experience you’ve had that your conscious mind doesn’t remember but your subconscious mind does.

7. Seek Advice. Talk to trusted friends, family members, mentors, or professionals who can offer different perspectives or insights on the decision. Sometimes an outside opinion can provide clarity.

8. Make the Decision. After thorough deliberation, make a decision. Trust that you’ve considered all relevant factors to the best of your ability.

9. Take Action. Once you’ve made a decision, take action to implement it. Be prepared to adjust your plan as needed based on new information or changing circumstances. You would be surprised by how many people execute those first 8 steps flawlessly and still somehow miss this step. It is not really a decision unless some action is taken as a result of it. That means if you skip step nine you have NOT actually made a decision.

10. Reflect and Learn. After the decision has been made and implemented, take time to reflect on the process. Consider what went well, what could have been done differently, and what lessons you can apply to future decisions.

Making decisions can be challenging, making difficult ones is even more challenging. It’s okay to feel uncertain at times. Trust in your ability to navigate through the process and learn from the experience, regardless of the outcome.

By following this process, the more decisions you make the better your decision making will become. There will always be another difficult decision to make in your life, there won’t however be a decision you’re not prepared to make.

Making Better Decisions

Steve Keating 1 Comment

Somebody really smart once said that our lives our made from the choices we make. I believe, good or bad, we are all only one decision away from a completely different life. That means we need to be certain we are making the best decisions possible in our life. 

Making decisions is a complex process. It involves weighing various factors and considering the potential consequences of each option. Some decisions are so complex that many people decide not to make them at all. But deciding to not decide IS a decision. 

It’s a decision to allow other people or random circumstances to choose your life’s course for you. That hardly ever works out well. So YOU need to decide, even with all the risks that can come with a decision you’re better off deciding than not. 

So here are some steps you can follow that are likely to help you make better decisions.  They can also remove some of the stress associated with decision making. 

  • Identify the decision: Start by identifying the decision you need to make. It’s important to be clear about what you want to achieve and why you need to make the decision.
  • Gather information: Once you have identified the decision required, gather as much information as you can about the options available to you. This could include research, advice from others, and your own experiences. Sometimes you’ll need to “trust your gut” when making decisions. Know that your “gut” is likely a life experience that you have forgotten but your subconscious mind has not. You almost certainly know more than you realize, trust yourself. 
  • Evaluate the options: Consider the pros and cons of each option. Think about the potential benefits and risks of each choice, and assess how well each option aligns with your goals. Go deep here, consider the consequences of the consequences of the consequences. Play the “what if” game. What if this happens? What if that happens? Good decision makers are seldom surprised by an outcome of their decisions. That’s because they have considered all the possibilities. 
  • Make a decision: Based on the information you have gathered and the evaluations you have made, choose the option that best aligns with your goals. 
  • Take action: Once you have made your decision, take action to implement it. This may involve communicating your decision to others, taking steps to put your plan into action, and monitoring your progress. You may have felt a weight lifted off your shoulders when you made your decision but you need to understand, it’s not a real decision until you act upon it. 
  • Evaluate the results: After you have taken action, evaluate the results. Assess whether your decision has led to the outcomes you were hoping for, and whether you need to make any adjustments or changes going forward. I like to assume that some adjustments will be needed. Having to make adjustments is not the sign of a bad decision, it is a part of making your initial decision even better. 

The better your decisions the better your life will be. You make tons of decisions everyday. Most are made subconsciously. Some of those can have a bigger impact on our lives than we realize but it’s the ones that keep us up at night that really matter. Don’t allow other people or circumstances to make those decisions for you. You are better off making a wrong decision that you can fix rather than surrendering control of your life to someone else’s poor decisions that you can’t fix. 

Make your decisions fearlessly. Know full well that you are in control of your life and you’re only one decision away from having exactly the life you want. 

The Decisions You Make, Make You

Steve Keating 2 Comments

Research shows that the average person makes 35,000 decisions…a day! Assuming 7 hours of sleep each day that leaves 17 hours. That makes for a little over 2000 decisions an hour or one decision every two seconds. 

After seeing that research the first decision I made was to decide the researchers must be nuts. If we’re all making 35,000 decisions a day then we can’t be doing anything else. But then I made another decision to read a bit further. The article said decisions include things like deciding to read further in an article. Deciding to ignore a text notification while reading. Deciding to shift my position in the chair I was reading in. 

So whether we really make 35,000 decisions a day or not, it became clear to me that we make a whole lot more decisions than we are actually aware of. Some of those decisions have very little impact on our lives. Others have a major impact. And many, perhaps very many, we won’t understand their impact for years. 

I suspect many of the “outcomes” of our decisions we never tie back to a decision at all. But this much I’m certain of…the better the decisions we make the better the life we make as well. 

We make many huge decisions without ever considering the impact and consequences they could, or will, have on our lives. That’s because we often don’t realize how big some of our everyday decisions are.

For example, the decision about the people you allow into your life. You are the compilation of the five people you most frequently interact with. Yet for most of us we never even consider the influence other people have on our lives. We allow negative people, people who procrastinate, people who find a problem with every solution into our lives and then wonder why we struggle to be the person we want to be. 

If you want to be more successful then hang out with successful, positive and supportive people. 

I see salespeople all the time who when deciding to make one more sales call on a given day or knock off early they choose knocking off early. That’s a terrible choice in most every case. They limit their success, they limit their career and they limit their income. Salespeople who make that poor choice even a handful of times a month will need to work years to make up the lost income. But when deciding when their day will end they almost never consider the long-term consequences. 

The first step to making better decisions is realizing how many decisions you actually make. 

Little decisions, like deciding between a plain Hershey Bar or a Hershey Bar with Almonds won’t be life altering. But it’s likely that more decisions than you think will indeed have a long-term impact on your life. The most successful people consider the consequences of the consequences before making those decisions. 

You are potentially one choice away from a completely different life. There are two types of people in the world, those who believe their life is largely the sum of their choices and those who believe their life is chosen for them by the lottery of circumstances. 

If you don’t believe that then it’s likely you’re in the second group. If you’re interested in success that’s not the group you want to be in. 

Accept responsibility for your choices and you’ll be accepting responsibility for your life. 

A Guaranteed Wrong Decision

Steve Keating 3 Comments

I was asked years ago to do a Goal Setting workshop for a group of High School Seniors. We were talking about short term goals and I asked how many of the students were planning on attending college in the fall. 

The answers were varied but one stood out. The student said they had not yet decided about attending college in the fall so they were taking a year off school and then they would decided. I replied “so you’ve decided to not attend this fall.” They again said that had not yet decided about college in the fall so they were taking a year to “review their options” and then decide. So I gave the same reply. I added that by not deciding they had decided. They would not be attending college in the fall. 

The young student was frustrated with my answer. They were certain that they had not yet made a decision. But in fact the decision had been made. 

You may be tempted to cut the student a little slack given their age of lack of experience with making big decisions. Except the inability to make decisions has little to do with age or experience. 

It has to do with confidence. It has to do with being okay with failing once in a while. It has to do with the willingness to suffer the consequences of make wrong decisions. It has to do with with having the discipline to try again. And maybe again and again. 

People who can’t make a decision, or more likely, won’t make a decision, fail to understand that not making a decision IS a decision. It’s a decision to not change, to not take action, or it’s a decision to cling to a past mistake because you invested so much time in making the mistake. 

Not making a decision is guaranteed to be a wrong decision. I maintain actually making a decision that turns out to be wrong is often easier to fix than no decision because at least you’re now certain what doesn’t work. 

When you’re making a big decision and you’re not sure what to do then break the big decision into a series of smaller ones and do the next right thing to do. No matter how little that “right thing” is you’ll be creating momentum towards the big decision. You’ll be making progress and progress is always a good thing to make. 

If you think you truly can’t decide between a couple of options then simply flip a coin. I can promise you when that coin is in the air you’ll know exactly how you want it to land. Then, regardless of how the coin actually lands, you’ll know which option to choose. 

That may sound silly but it works amazingly well. But in order to find out for yourself you do have to decide to try it out. 

Listening to You

Steve Keating 5 Comments

There’s a pretty good chance that everything you know to be true isn’t. “Knowing” things that you really don’t know will get you in as much trouble, or maybe more, then not knowing about them at all.

The good news is that there also is a pretty good chance that you know stuff that you don’t even know you know.

The stuff you know that you don’t know you know is sometimes called intuition or instinct. I think psychologists would say that it’s actually things you’ve learned that your conscious mind has forgotten but your subconscious mind hasn’t.

Leaders who lead in difficult times trust those instincts. They also know that they could be wrong about most anything so they verify what they “know” to be true. In order to do either of those you must work with a wide open mind.

When you’re unsure of anything it’s good leadership practice to seek out advice from those you trust. Listen to them. When you’re sure of something it’s a good idea to listen to opposing viewpoints too, if only to determine if others are as sure as you. This is when an open mind is particularly important.

Great leaders have open minds, they seek out advice and then act. They may or may not follow the advice of others. They listen to everyone and everyone includes themselves.

Don’t forget, your instincts could be spot on. Just because you don’t remember learning something doesn’t mean your entire brain has forgotten it too.

Listen to yourself. Trust your instincts and trust your gut. Your experience will not mislead you, your experience has no motive of its own. Using your personal experience to make decisions shows that you can learn from your successes AND your mistakes.

So go ahead and seek the guidance of others but seek your own guidance too. When you listen to you it’s possible you’re listening to the one person who can help you the most.

You most likely know more than you think you do, but remember, no one knows it all.