Tag Tough Decisions

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 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.