#11 Decisions

Everyone has an opinion on decision making.

We're told by some experts not to linger on a decision, but to make it swiftly: Time is of the essence. Fail fast. We can't have decision by committee. Feel the fear and do it anyway. Time is money. Trust your gut. You can't run a business as a democracy. Seize the first mover advantage.

With all the buzz phrase hype circling decision-making, we're at risk of being whipped up into quite the excited, decision-maker lather.

While I'm not an advocate for slow decision making or indecision, I do have a more balanced view to how decisions are best made and how context varies the value of urgency in decision making.

As a rookie project manager moving onto a client site on a quiet Sunday morning in the early 2000's, I was surprised to find someone else in the lights-out government office. He warmly greeted me and asked what I was moving in to do. I explained I was coming on-board to project manage a critical systems build.

A light bulb went on in his mind that was emitted through his brightened eyes as he introduced himself as a "Senior Project Manager" and he decided I was in need of some sage project management advice, which he shared:

"Never make a decision. Delegate up. Delegate down. But never make a decision!"

I looked at Nigel (name changed to protect the decisionless) with a deep sense of confusion and sympathy, and in that moment, decided I was going to do the opposite: Always make a decision!

And ever since then, I've made decisions. Some slowly, some quickly, some with only my gut and some with deep thought and reflection. Some on my own and some after consulting a full congress. Some successfully. Some unsuccessfully. But I've darn well made them.

For the non-trivial decisions, I generally approach them from six angles:

1. Do I have all the information I need? (Decision specifics)
2. Do I understand the broader context? (Decision backdrop)
3. Have I consulted (and debated with) all the people who can help inform a good decision? (Other views)
4. Do I need to make the decision now? (Timing)
5. Does the decision I'm about to make align with my values? (Personal integrity)
6. What's the worst that could happen with the decision? (Risk management)

This approach helps me to have confidence that I have considered the widest possible array of possibilities, that I am mitigating any cognitive biases, I am able to bring an oblique and even creative lens to the decision making process, and ultimately that I have some what-if scenarios up my sleeve should I need them.

Delaying a decision is often a useful tactic if the best decision is not immediately obvious and there's little (if any) impact in deferring it. A decision today could be quite a different one in tomorrow's context. And while deferring a decision can be a strategic decision in itself, it should not be confused with decision-making's virus: Indecision!

Indecision can sneak-up on you when faced with complex, confusing and volatile decision specifics and backdrop. Here, avoidance of the responsibility to make a decision results in indecision. Now (and only now) could be when Nigel's Law of Decision-Making is best invoked. Delegate up! If you don't have the kahunas to make the decision, find someone who does. But sitting on it is not a strategic decision, it's a terminal one.

Many of the decisions we face are not irreversible or irrecoverable. Holding this front-of-mind can be enabling when making decisions, especially complex and confusing ones.

So next time you're faced with a decision, or perhaps judging a leader for their decision making style, remember this:

• Making a decision is a good idea - it moves us forward;
• Some decisions take time;
• Some people take time to make some decisions;
• Other people have invaluable contributions to decision making; and
• Don't be a Nigel, always make a decision (eventually)!

[Disclaimer: Two of my good friends are named Nigel, but neither of them are this one ;) ]