In life, we are constantly faced with decisions: What do I eat today? Should I wear a shirt or a t-shirt? However, alongside everyday decisions, there are also those – especially in professional life – that are crucial for the development of your company, its products, etc. Major decisions can be challenging for many. Often, essential decisions are postponed – the biggest mistake! Because in many cases, doing nothing is worse than making the wrong decision.
We have 4 tips for you on how to make decisions easier.
First and foremost: No matter how much information you gather for upcoming decisions, you will NEVER be able to foresee all the consequences your decision will bring. Something unforeseen can always happen. What’s important is that you don’t let this deter you and confidently make your decision overcoming perfectionism – and stand by it.
Tip 1: Say goodbye to perfectionism
If you tend to be a perfectionist, set it aside when making decisions. This doesn’t mean that you don’t gather any information, but don’t wait until you have 100% of all the information you want. That just delays things; you keep putting off the decision and, in the worst case scenario, make no decision at all. Decide as soon as you consider the decision-making basis acceptable. Set yourself a deadline for when you want to make the decision. This prevents you from getting bogged down in too many details. Focus on the important decision criteria!
Tip 2: Don’t rely on experts for decisions
Expert opinions are certainly important, but if you consult many experts, you’ll get many different expert opinions. This can delay your final decision again – after all, you don’t want to make mistakes. Ultimately, you have to make the decision and trust one expert opinion. Therefore, weigh up: What happens if it’s the wrong decision? What if I delay the decision? Often, the consequences of a wrong decision are less severe than delaying it.
Tip 3: Don’t fear wrong decisions
Everyone makes mistakes from time to time. Keep that in mind. Worse than making wrong decisions is not making any decisions out of fear of mistakes. Decision-makers are always more successful in the long run than those who don’t make decisions – even if there are occasional mistakes.
Tip 4: Don’t hold on to wrong decisions
Wrong decisions are often – even when obviously wrong – endlessly defended. People don’t like to admit mistakes and therefore often hold on to wrong decisions for too long. If you realize that your decision was wrong, openly acknowledge this and find a solution to the problem. Explain to your colleagues/employees/supervisors your decision-making basis and the reasons why this decision turned out to be wrong. This makes you credible and shows that you can stand by your decisions and deal with your mistakes.
