Why Did That 'Right' Decision Go Wrong?

A Practical Guide to Turning Gut Feelings into Informed Decisions

Why Did That Decision Go Wrong Even Though It Felt Right? Intuition can be useful, but sometimes it tricks us. The key to improving the quality of our decisions is simple yet powerful: make explicit what we usually keep implicit. What do I mean by that?

Making decisions based on intuition or “gut feelings” is fine, but if we don’t verbalize or question those decisions, it becomes difficult to identify when we are wrong. As a result, we’ll keep making the same mistakes repeatedly. Does this mean you shouldn’t listen to your intuition? No! Does it mean that — once you’ve listened to your intuition — you should make explicit why you made that decision? Yes!

How do we make the implicit explicit?

• Create a List of Decision Criteria: Before making the decision, clearly identify the factors you are considering. For example, if you’re thinking about changing jobs, your criteria might include: purpose, salary, professional growth, work-life balance, and location.
• Do a Pre-Mortem: Before implementing a decision, imagine that it went wrong. Why did it go wrong? Identifying potential risks in advance will help you prepare better.
• Shorten the Validation Cycle: Don’t wait for the final outcome. Decisions with long-term results are hard to evaluate. Identify short-term indicators to recognize whether you are on the right path. This will help you make adjustments and changes as needed.
• Gather Independent Opinions: If possible, ask people around you to get a broader perspective on the decision. Imagine different scenarios to project yourself and expand your viewpoint.

Intuition is valuable, but it’s not infallible. By making your reasoning explicit and questioning your assumptions, you improve the quality of your decisions.

Source: https://dalzan.com/